EU/S3/09/11/A EUROPEAN AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE AGENDA 11th Meeting, 2009 (Session 3) Tuesday 29 September 2009 The Committee will meet at 10.30 am in Committee Room 1. 1. Decision on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether to take items 5, 6, 7 and 8 in private. 2. Scottish Government's European Union priorities: The Committee will take evidence from— Michael Russell MSP, Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution, Deborah Smith, Acting Director for Culture, External Affairs and Tourism, and Donald Henderson, Deputy Director of Europe Division, Scottish Government. 3. Special Edition of the Brussels Bulletin: The Committee will consider a special edition of the Brussels Bulletin. 4. Brussels Bulletin: The Committee will consider the Brussels Bulletin. 5. Presidency of the EU Council: The Committee will consider its approach to invitations to the Ambassadors of EU Presidency nations. 6. China Plan inquiry: The Committee will consider a draft report. 7. EU Budget review inquiry: The Committee will consider witnesses for the inquiry. 8. Scottish Government's European Union priorities: The Committee will consider the oral evidence session. EU/S3/09/11/A Lynn Tullis / Simon Watkins Clerks to the European and External Relations Committee Room TG.01 The Scottish Parliament Edinburgh Tel: 0131 348 5234 Email: [email protected] [email protected] ------------------------------------------- The papers for this meeting are as follows— Agenda item 2 Paper from the Clerk and SPICe EU/S3/09/11/1 Agenda item 3 Brussels Bulletin Special Edition EU/S3/09/11/2 Agenda item 4 Brussels Bulletin EU/S3/09/11/3 Agenda item 5 Private Paper EU/S3/09/11/4 (P) Agenda item 6 Private Paper EU/S3/09/11/5 (P) Agenda item 7 Private Paper EU/S3/09/11/6 (P) EU/S3/09/11/1 European and External Relations Committee 11th Meeting, 2009 (Session 3), Tuesday, 29 September 2009 Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution Introduction 1. The purpose of this session is to take evidence from the Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution on the Scottish Government’s recently published Action Plan on European Engagement1 and European Priorities (attached as Annexe A). Action Plan on European Engagement 2. On 23 April 2008 the Scottish Government published its draft Action Plan on European Engagement. According to the Scottish Government, the Action Plan was published in draft to allow the Government to hold discussions on its aims and content with stakeholders before it was finalised. 3. Alongside the draft Action Plan, the Scottish Government also published its long term EU political objectives. These were fisheries and aquaculture; the EU budget review; justice and home affairs issues; EU energy policy and agriculture. 4. On 7 September 2009, the Scottish Government published its finalised Action Plan on European Engagement. This incorporates sections on: tracking and influencing EU legislation and policies, playing a leading role in Europe, raising Scotland’s profile in Europe, the key role of stakeholders, bilateral work with European partners and a section on monitoring and evaluation. Scottish Government’s long term political objectives 5. The key change to the final version of the Action Plan from the initial draft is that the Government has moved from the five long term political objectives towards focussing on four policy areas. The areas are: • Energy and Climate Change • Marine Environment • Research and Creativity • Justice and Home Affairs 6. Explaining this change the Action Plan now states: ‘Of course, we must be realistic – our resources are finite, and in order to be truely effective we must focus our efforts on trying to lead the way in a small number of areas. These are the areas where Scotland’s interests, expertise and 1 Scottish Government’s Action Plan on European Engagement. Available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/International- Relations/Europe/EuropeanStrategy 1 EU/S3/09/11/1 potential converge with a recognition at EU level of the importance of the issue at stake. The Scottish Government will focus on four areas in which Scotland can play a significant role in Europe’ (page 5). The process by which the Scottish Government identifies its EU priorities 7. In the past the Committee has sought to clarify the methodology and criteria by which the Scottish Government has identified its EU priorities. With the publication of the Action Plan, in addition to the move away from long term political objectives, the Scottish Government now no longer publishes its individual policy priorities (a table showing the Government’s European priorities in October 2008 is included as Annexe B). 8. Alongside the Action Plan, the Government has published two Appendices (these are also included at Annexe A). The first Appendix provides a six month review of key Scottish Government action at European level in each of the four priority policy areas. The second Appendix provides a Forward Look to the next six months (which encompasses the Swedish Presidency of the EU). The Forward Look provides details of a number of issues which may affect Scotland, not just developments in the priority policy areas. 9. To an extent this has responded to the Committee’s previous suggestion that it would be helpful to have a summary of the key actions that had been taken by the Scottish Government in the six months since the previous report and the key issues that were anticipated in the next six months. However this does not incorporate the details of specific priorities or specific plans for delivery. Presentation of EU Priorities and Early Engagement Activity 10. In its report of the inquiry into the transposition of EU directives the Committee recommended that the Scottish Government should continue to develop the presentation of its EU priorities to the Parliament to include a detailed summary of the early engagement it has undertaken in relation to its EU priorities and political objectives. The Committee may wish to discuss with the Minister how the Government will use early engagement to further its priorities. Monitoring and Evaluation 11. The Committee previously questioned the need for mechanisms by which progress and successful delivery of each of the priorities will be measured. The Action Plan states that; “the Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution will provide the European and External Relations Committee of the Scottish Parliament with an annual report on the progress made in delivering the Action Plan on European Engagement in the Autumn of each year.” SPICe , Committee Clerk September 2009 2 EU/S3/09/11/1 Annexe A ACTION PLAN ON EUROPEAN ENGAGEMENT ACTION PLAN ON EUROPEAN ENGAGEMENT EU/S3/09/11/1 Annexe A INTRODUCTION The purpose of the Scottish Government is to create a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish through increasing sustainable economic growth. This provides the direction for our international engagement, focused on achieving the three objectives set out in our International Framework: increasing population growth, bringing a sharper economic growth focus to the promotion of Scotland abroad, and presenting Scotland as a distinctive, independent minded, responsible nation. The EU provides Scotland with access to the world‟s largest trading market – the Single Market of almost half a billion consumers. It is our most important export market, with £9.5 billion1 of our exports destined for the EU in 2007. Funds from the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund, some £3.2 billion between 2000 and 2006, have long supported projects in Scotland designed to ensure that all of our diverse regions and communities can benefit from European opportunities. While our share of EU funds is now decreasing they are still important to our economy, the £685 million allocated to Scotland for 2007 – 2013 is playing a key role in our economic recovery programme as the Scottish Government front loads spending to stimulate economic activity. The Scottish Government has a key role to play in enhancing Scotland‟s profile in Europe, placing Scotland at the heart of European activity from where we can benefit fully from the opportunities available. We must strengthen Scotland‟s presence in the European Union so that our interests are heard on the issues that impact both our citizens and our economic growth. Not only must we ensure that Scotland fully grasp the opportunities that the EU presents but we should also ensure that Scotland plays a full part in shaping EU policies of the future in areas in which we can lead the field, such as marine renewable energy and creating a sustainable fisheries industry. Ultimately these ambitions can only be fulfilled when Scotland has full standing as an independent Member State of the EU – a separate and distinctive voice at the negotiating table giving due weight to Scottish interests. However even within the constraints of the current constitutional arrangements there is significant work that we as the Government of Scotland, working with the wide spectrum of Scotland‟s stakeholders and representatives in Europe, can do to advance Scotland‟s interests in Europe. Our efforts and activity in the European arena must be properly focused to maximise the impact we make. There are three categories of work in which we should engage. Firstly, we must continue to track key EU legislation and developments that will impact Scotland so that we can react positively to the benefits and defensively to the threats that these pose; Secondly, we must strategically consider the areas in which Scotland has a particular interest and unique experiences which mean that, by taking a lead role we can shape developments to the benefit of both Scotland and our European partners.