This report covers the work of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee (the Committee) during the parliamentary year from 13 May 2024 to 12 May 2025.

During this parliamentary year, the Committee has undertaken work across the breadth of its remit, with inquiries focused on: the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (trade in services, youth mobility and touring artists); the Scottish Government’s National Outcomes (the outcomes and Indicators relating to the international work); culture funding (and the role of Creative Scotland); the BBC (BBC Scotland’s annual report); Ukraine (Scotland’s humanitarian response); and the UK Internal Market Act (UKIMA) (responding to the UK Government review and consultation on UKIMA). 

The membership of the Committee has changed over the parliamentary year as follows—

• George Adam joined the Committee on 18 June 2024 (replacing Kate Forbes who left the Committee in the previous parliamentary year, on 10 May 2024). 

• Mark Ruskell left the Committee on 26 June 2024 and was replaced by Patrick Harvie.

• Meghan Gallacher left the Committee on 10 October 2024 and was replaced by Stephen Kerr.

The Committee met 32 times during the reporting period, with 15 meetings held wholly in public, 12 partly in public and private, and 5 wholly in private.

The Committee published the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement: Barriers to trade in goods and opportunities to improve the UK EU trading relationship report, the first part of its TCA-related work, on 10 September 2024.

This work was undertaken with the aim to inform the forthcoming review of the TCA and the future relationship between the UK and the EU; the focus of the first part of the work being on trade in goods between the UK and EU.

The Committee visited Brussels on 4-5 November to discuss the findings of the report at meetings in the European Parliament and the European Commission and with the UK Ambassador to the EU. 

The Committee received responses to the report from both the Scottish and UK Governments and a debate on the report was held in the Chamber on 14 November 2024.

The second part of the TCA-related work focused on trade in services and specifically mobility in terms of professionals, young people and touring artists.

There was also a youth mobility engagement event, on 27 February 2025, organised with the support of colleagues in the Participation and Communities Team, for members to be able to hear directly from young people on their experience of youth mobility under the TCA.

The Committee began Stage 1 consideration of the UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Bill on 6 May 2025 with evidence from Scottish Government officials.

The UK Government published a UK Internal Market Act 2020: review and consultation relating to Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 on 23 January 2025 and following a brief inquiry the Committee submitted its submission on 1 May 2025.

The Committee wrote to the UK Minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security with our findings and has invited him to appear before us once the findings of the review and consultation have been published.

A revised set of National Outcomes, alongside proposed changes to the wider National Performance Framework, were laid by the Scottish Government before the Parliament for consultation in May 2024.

In anticipation of the parliamentary process to scrutinise and report on the revised outcomes, the Committee had undertaken scrutiny of the existing National Outcomes and Indicators relating to international policy and reported on its inquiry on 29 October 2024.

Having previously considered Scotland’s humanitarian response to Ukraine, we took evidence from the Consul of Ukraine in Scotland on 27 February 2025 for an update on the work to support displaced people from Ukraine in Scotland.

On 10 October 2024 and in the run up to COP29, the Committee took evidenceon the Climate Justice Fund and wrote to the Scottish Government and the Convener of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee with a summary of the issues that had been raised with us. 

The Committee undertook pre-budget scrutinyof the culture portfolio ahead of Budget 2025-26. Having agreed to take a cumulative approach to budget scrutiny over Session 6, this inquiry followed on from the Committee’s previous pre- budget scrutiny for 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25

The Committee published its report on 11 October 2024.

On 21 November 2024, the Committee considered the draft Annual Report laid by the Scottish Government on its commitment to align with the European Union where appropriate.

This report was again published alongside a series of other reports on the Scottish Government’s commitment to align with the European Union where appropriate, namely reports on achieving EU alignment using other legislative powers, EU Law relevant to devolved competence or having a devolved impact, and EU policy priorities and forward look.

This extended approach to reporting was implemented following the representations made by the Committee following consideration of 2022-23’s draft annual report, and joint working between Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament officials to improve the transparency of ministerial decision-making in implementing the Scottish Government’s approach to EU alignment.

The Committee had also issued a call for views on 9 October 2024 on the Scottish Government’s commitment to align with EU law where appropriate and took evidencefrom stakeholders on 20 February 2025.

The Committee previously commissioned Dr Lisa Whitten, Queen’s University Belfast, to produce an EU law tracker to assist the Parliament in scrutinising the Scottish Government’s commitment to EU alignment. During the reporting period, the third and fourth reports of the EU law tracker were published in September 2024 and February 2025.

The reports include a number of case studies outlining changes to EU law, which were shared with relevant subject committees.

The Committee held its annual evidence session with the BBC, including Director-General Tim Davie, on its Annual Report and Accounts on 23 January 2025, following the publication of Ofcom’s annual report on the BBC.

We wrote to the BBC on 7 February 2025 to follow up on several matters and received a response on 22 March 2025.

On 17 and 18 March 2025 the Convener and Deputy Convener attended the fifth meeting of the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly, which was established to help monitor the implementation of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

The Deputy Convener spoke in the debate on Trade, customs and Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures.

The Convener and Deputy Convener attended the sixth meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Forum at the Northern Ireland Assembly on 15 November 2024. The meetings were attended by other Chairs, Conveners and Members of the relevant committees in other legislatures across the UK.

Following the meeting the Forum agreed a joint statement and agreed to invite the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations to attend the next meeting of the Forum to discuss his priorities.