Hansard

Thank you, convener. It is at moments like this that I recall the pleasant position conveners are in, looking down the table towards the ministers. However, today I have the enviable opportunity of presenting to the committee the Executive's strategy at this critical moment in time, and I am pleased to be here. I hope to build up a warm and constructive relationship with committee members to ensure that we best represent Scotland's needs.I know that I am one in a continuing pattern of ministers who have been before the committee. I have adopted the PowerPoint route, which is my wont. I hope that it will make the presentation more interesting and that it will allow conversation and dialogue afterwards.It is good to see the slight change in emphasis in how the committee works and the fact that more of the Parliament's committees, such as those with responsibility for health, justice, environment and enterprise, will take up European issues at source in order to deal with matters European. That is healthy and is to be welcomed. As the convener said, he has allocated the questions in such a way as to allow the committee time to discuss issues of European interest as well as the wider external relations portfolio. I hope that there is lots of time for questions and answers. I introduce Alastair Wilson and Tim Simons, who are with me today to assist. One of the aspects of the Parliament that I like is the fact that officials get to clarify matters on occasion. I will invite them to do so as and when appropriate to ensure that such clarification happens.The areas to be covered are those that members see on the second slide: how the Executive engages with Europe; how we engage with the United Kingdom to ensure that we are represented properly on EU issues; our priorities around the Italian presidency; and the intergovernmental conference, which is clearly critical. I am sure that members will raise other matters in questions. I will also cover other areas of our work that I think are important to the committee.The next set of slides shows the committee who everybody is, which is important. I certainly hope to have a long and fruitful relationship not only with the committee but with the portfolio. Tavish Scott and I are responsible for the specific portfolio responsibilities, although the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister retain a high-level strategic interest and play their own roles within the external relations work that we do. Fortunately—or unfortunately—both Jack McConnell and the Deputy First Minister have held the external relations brief and have been here before, so they will be able to keep a close eye on me. Patricia Ferguson has responsibility within the Executive for ensuring that we carry out our responsibilities and duties with regard to transposition. Other ministers engage with Europe at different levels and in different ways. We ensure that we engage with visiting delegations of ministers and others and that our views are heard and understood. Further, ministers try to ensure the mainstreaming of appropriate European matters within their portfolios.It is important for committee members to know how ministers handle the Executive's external relations policy and to question me on that handling. The Cabinet discusses EU issues and we ensure that we focus on what we can achieve in our portfolios and more widely, including in external relations. Twice a year we discuss our priorities in relation to the EU presidency. Last Wednesday, we discussed the Italian presidency's programme and the Executive's priorities therein. We have delivered information on that to members.Recently, we also set up an ad hoc ministerial group on European strategy to consider the co-ordination of policy, how we can influence the UK Government's position on EU issues that affect us and how we will deal with forthcoming European legislation. The group also considers the wider reform agenda within Europe and our working relationships with other parts of the EU. We want to ensure that, as a Cabinet and an Executive, our focus is correct and that we are working on the key issues and intervening at the appropriate time to ensure that our interests are best represented.Slide 6 lays out our departmental structure for external relations policy. All departments that have EU business—for example, the Environment and Rural Affairs Department—deal with EU policy in their area. The Finance and Central Services Department has three EU policy divisions: external relations, promotion of Scotland, and the Scottish Executive EU office. In total, 51 members of staff are involved, of which 13 are external relations staff, 26 are promotion of Scotland staff and 12 are from the EU office.After robust discussion, we arrived at a clear statement of our external relations objectives and we want to ensure that we pursue them effectively. We want to engage with and influence external relations matters as effectively as we can. Slide 7 shows our objectives, which are: promoting Scotland's devolved policy interests; building links; promoting Scotland abroad; and working closely with the UK Government to ensure that we have a strong, effective influence on European matters. Working through the ad hoc ministerial committee, we want to ensure that we attach specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-related—SMART—criteria to the objectives so that we can report to the committee how effectively our policies have been pursued and delivered for Scotland.The Executive works closely and effectively with UK Government officials and politicians on EU issues that affect our devolved interests to ensure that the Executive's position is known and that we influence UK policy on those matters. We also ensure that our views are known within the European Parliament and the European Commission. Several of my ministerial colleagues have met commissioners in Brussels and in Edinburgh and we have regular dialogue with Scotland's members of the European Parliament.Recently, members of the European members information liaison exchange—EMILE—network met in this committee room. I was struck by the diversity of interests and the number of players from the Parliament, the Executive and wider civic Scotland who are involved in ensuring that we all shove in the right direction in terms of Scotland's representation in the European Parliament and the benefits that that can bring.Working with the UK is a critical and rewarding aspect of our work. We ensure that our voice is heard and that our policies can be delivered effectively. For example, Executive ministers attend European councils with the UK Government to ensure that our views are known and understood and have an impact on decisions. To date, we have attended 43 councils. I want all ministers to attend the appropriate councils to ensure that there can be no question of our voice not being heard, our views not being known and our influence not being felt.We also attend the joint ministerial committee on Europe. It has held seven meetings since 1999, at which there have been key strategic discussions around matters European. We can make our voice heard at those meetings, thereby influencing UK policy. We also attend a number of meetings in London of the Whitehall ministerial committee on European co-ordination—MINECOR—whose role is to promote UK involvement in Europe and communicate the benefits of EU membership. That involves a number of presentational issues, and we participate fully in MINECOR.To ensure that our views are known at a UK level, we hold informal meetings to discuss matters of common interest. Members will be aware of the work of the Scottish euro preparations committee, which I attended last Tuesday, and we could perhaps discuss that later on. We also use officers working at a UK level and engage in correspondence to agree policy lines, influencing UK policy before council meetings and ensuring that our views come across and are delivered satisfactorily. We can seek to influence policy at different levels. At different working groups and meetings, including Wall-Grant meetings—or Grant-Wall meetings, depending on how we want to present them—we make sure that we get our views across. Our engagement in that process is deep and comprehensive at the political level and at officer level. We all seek to ensure that our views come across and that our voice is well heard. We have issued the committee with a number of documents on the Italian presidency of the EU, which the Cabinet discussed last Wednesday. The Italian ambassador met some members, including me, last week. The Executive channels its resources effectively, and we seek to use our influence and set our priorities appropriately, without spreading ourselves too thinly, as was also discussed at Cabinet. The forward look for the Italian presidency was produced by the Executive's EU office and has been sent out to members and to all those in the EMILE network. It is available on our website, which I understand fulfils a commitment on the part of the Executive that was prompted by the committee. We have tried to be open and transparent about what we seek to do in Europe to allow committee members and wider civic Scotland to understand where the focus of the Executive's work will be. The forward look document on the Italian presidency gives a clear indication of our priorities and where the Executive seeks to be. We will ensure that our interests are put across and that there is an understanding at a European level of the unique Scottish legal system when EU law is made. Through good intelligence, we can influence the process at the right time and ensure that Scotland's interests are well represented. The Executive makes sure that it alerts those who require to be alerted when relevant matters come up. I was struck—as I expect were new members of the committee—by the wide diversity of interests involved in this area, by the sheer scale of the work that goes on in Europe and by the effects that that can and will have in Scotland and the UK. Clearly, priorities must be set. The forward look mentions 29 dossiers of importance to Scotland, and we have identified five of those as being of particular importance. If I were to ask members to guess what those dossiers are about, I suspect that they would not be far away, and that they would agree on what the priorities should be. The IGC is critical for the institutional structure of Europe and how that will change, and our work on the draft treaty is critical. We have made some good, positive moves with regard to the IGC, but we need to ensure that that effort is maintained. Reform of the common agricultural policy is critically important to Scotland and work continues in that regard. Cod recovery measures represent another issue of great concern to Scotland. The committee will have views on the structural funds debate, and the Executive continues to work on that, particularly in relation to the third report on economic and social cohesion. The revised bathing water directive will be of particular importance in Scotland, and we want to be absolutely clear about our role in properly influencing, delivering and dealing with the directive. Identifying those priorities is not to forget the other pieces of work that we are undertaking, but we felt that those priorities are appropriate for the Executive to work away on, notwithstanding the fact that individual ministers will have issues relating to their portfolios that they will require to examine and manage. We think that that is a sensible and prudent approach to ensure that we focus our resources effectively and deliver our commitments. Through intensive liaison with our UK counterparts, the Commission, MEPs and others, we will seek to ensure that those matters are delivered through the system. I strongly believe that we have the opportunity over the next four years to ensure that Scottish interests are best met at a critical time for Europe because of the IGC and enlargement. We can do that collectively and by ensuring that we all know each other's priorities and responsibilities and where we need the real push in relation to what is best for Scotland's interests. I hope to work closely with MEPs, the committee and UK partners to ensure that that happens. We seek to share information and to ensure that officials work with clerks so that we can do our best to co-ordinate our activities to best meet the needs of Scotland. Peter Peacock was at the most recent substantive discussion with the committee on objectives. We want to ensure that we address those issues. On promoting Scotland's interests in EU policy, we are quietly pleased and confident with our contribution to the Hain paper, which is of great benefit to Scotland. I am pleased that much of that work has fed into the IGC. Aspects of the Hain paper, such as the treaty reference to the role of regional Governments and regional Parliaments in ensuring subsidiarity, the reforms to make the Committee of the Regions more effective, and flexibility with regard to national and regional Parliaments so that the implementation of European legislation makes sense locally, are all a good step forward. There are other aspects that did not quite reach the draft. Through our substantial involvement with the regions with legislative power—Regleg—we want to ensure that we pick up some of those issues, so that they continue to be at the top of our agenda, and that the matters that are in the current draft agreement remain there. It is worth updating the committee on another aspect of our work, which is the links with regions and countries. An action plan has been signed with Tuscany, and there are links in relation to economic development, arts and culture. We have considered cultural education; international policies with common interests; Bavaria in respect of European policy; land-use planning and development; justice and home affairs; pupil exchanges; tourism; the environment; and government administration. We are entering discussions, agreements and links with other countries on the basis of an agenda of mutual interest and mutual benefit, and with the intention of using our resources effectively. Tavish Scott is about to attend the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe to ensure that Scotland's interests are best represented there, too. We are one of the key seven founder members of Regleg, which the First Minister will chair. The opportunity is there not only to influence at the top table of that organisation but to bring a major European body to Scotland when Regleg has its 2004 conference here. Other areas are worth mentioning in relation to the positive image of Scotland overseas, for instance the prestigious and successful Smithsonian Folklife Festival in June and July, which had 1.5 million visitors. The event was positive for Scotland because it significantly raised the Scottish profile. One hundred performers and participants showcased traditional music, fashion, crafts and industry. It was an unrivalled opportunity to present Scotland, and was attended by Frank McAveety and others. We showcase Scotland as a must-visit destination at every opportunity—that is part of the broader strategy of tourism development throughout the Executive. The IGC is a big issue for us all. I have mentioned the fact that we are quite pleased with the enhanced role for the regions. We want to ensure not only that there is no roll-back from what is currently in the documents but that, through Regleg, we push more in other areas, particularly in relation to the Committee of the Regions. We want to ensure that, through the process of working with the United Kingdom and making our views known, the legal system in Scotland is understood and that further drafts appreciate particular nuances in Scotland. We want to ensure that work in the justice and home affairs stream recognises differences and that Scottish policy interests are protected.On key EU issues apart from the IGC, enlargement presents challenging opportunities for Scotland. Our engagement with the accession nations is currently very dynamic. They are now at the top table with speaking rights, although not voting rights, which creates a new dimension in Europe. We must ensure that different voices are heard, and we are keen to develop further our links with the accession nations. We are working through the UK and Executive partnership arrangements that we are developing to ensure that we deal effectively with enlargement. I mentioned Regleg, so will not do so again. The major constitutional changes and the approaching elections bring a degree of uncertainty, but also opportunities to seek to influence Europe and the European scene.The Executive is doing better in focusing on what we want to achieve from individual presidencies and in looking forward to ensure that we know where we are heading in Europe. We are delivering annotated council agendas to ensure that the committee is aware of the issues with which we are dealing—I have been advised that the committee requested that. We want to be effective within the UK delegation and in developing policies in the UK and Europe and to be more successful with the committee. I want to develop the relationship with the committee to ensure that we work effectively together so that Scotland's views are well represented.The ministerial ad hoc group that I mentioned is considering some of those issues. I certainly want to report back to the committee once we have distilled our thoughts a wee bit further about how we can work more effectively with the committee and others in Europe. We want to ensure that we engage with the committee properly, and we will have views about such engagement. We want to ensure that the committee's role in scrutinising what the Executive does is carried out in the best possible manner and that the committee has the right information to do that job. There should be a joint team Scotland approach—I referred to that at the start of my presentation—and we should push with all our collective effort to ensure that, during this time of change and opportunity in Europe, we deliver as effectively as we can.I apologise if my presentation has been a wee bit lengthy. I am on an interesting learning curve and my preparation for the meeting allowed me to get to grips with some of the wider portfolio matters. I am happy for members to make any comments or ask questions on areas about which I can further enlighten them.