European Committee, 19 Oct 1999

Meeting date: Tuesday, October 19, 1999

Official Report 254KB pdf

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Convener's Report

Scotland week was a success. Several members made their way to Brussels under their own steam, and we were impressed not only by the effect that Scotland week had, but by the general level of interest in it that was shown within the Commission and the European Parliament, and by other regions. It would be fair to say that it has done Scotland and its Parliament a power of good, as far as our profile in Europe is concerned.

I was very impressed by the week and the activities that were going on, as well as by the level of interest that was shown. It might be useful for us to ask the Executive for the feedback that it has received on the week.

Good idea.

The feedback from everybody whom we have met has been positive. It will come as no surprise to anybody here that people in Europe, and within Brussels, are very interested in this Parliament. It was a bit more surprising to me that they were interested in this committee and its activities, and that they were able to quote back bits of our Official Report to us. That level of interest was positive, and we want to build on it. The Executive is to be congratulated on the initiative of Scotland week, as well as on the Scotland House initiative, which was also very impressive.

I agree to write to the Executive, on behalf of the committee, to congratulate it on the initiative and to ask for a report of the week's activities and the conclusions that were reached.

I am sorry to have to mention something not so pleasant, but Mr McConnell has apologised to me for forgetting to put me on the list. By the time he said that he wanted me to go, at the very last minute, I had already accepted an invitation to be the guest of honour at a fund-raising dinner in London. I felt a wee bit sad that I was not in Brussels. After 24 years as a member of the European Parliament—and I am the only member of this committee who was a member of the European Parliament—I do not know how I came to be overlooked. I would have been quite happy to pay my own way, but I was just not included. I would like that to be noted in the minutes.

I met the deputy chairman of the SPD group in the Bavarian Parliament. This is one of a number of expressions of interest that we have received from regional parliaments and assemblies throughout Europe. David is absolutely right: there is a huge amount of interest in what is happening in Scotland. Herr Maget brought the best wishes not just of the SPD group, but of the Bavarian Parliament as a whole, and indicated that the Parliament would at some point like to meet formally the committee and representatives of this Parliament to discuss areas of common interest. The Bavarians would be more than happy to meet us here, but any member of this committee who happens to be in Bavaria is also welcome to contact the Bavarian Parliament. What Herr Maget said about the history of Bavaria and its relationship with the German state raised issues of relevance to our future relationship with other parts of the United Kingdom.

Winnie, you met the Basque representative.

Yes.

What was his response?

I met the minister responsible for foreign affairs. The Basque country is a remarkable part of the Spanish state, because it has more powers than Catalonia. In terms of its powers, the Basque country compares more closely with Scotland than Catalonia does. However, because of the erstwhile violence in the Basque lands, which seems to have come to an end following the magnificent agreement that has been signed by all parties—I hope that it works—nobody wanted to make that comparison.

The Basque country is a marvellous place to visit. It has an amazing co-operative movement, which has to be seen to be believed. The Basques are very hard-working, energetic people, with their own mysterious language—no one knows how it got there and where it came from, but it is what they like to speak. It was very interesting to hear about their plans. Like the Bavarians, they hope that some members will want to visit their Parliament. I have done so many times.

Winnie has alluded to the co-operative movement in the Basque country. I was disappointed that I was unable to attend the meeting, because I have a special interest in co-operation. I want to make a general point about the short notice that we receive about such meetings. I appreciate that that is sometimes outwith the control of the clerks, but it is difficult to break commitments that we have already made in order to meet people at short notice. I would appreciate it if we could do something about that.

Much of this is outwith our control, as some delegations make their own arrangements. For example, I had two days' notice of the meeting with the representative from Bavaria. That is unfortunate.

Before I come on to the East of Scotland European Consortium conference, I should mention that we have received another expression of interest. The foreign affairs adviser to the Dutch Prime Minister will be at parliamentary headquarters on 27 October, between 11 am and 12.30. He is interested in meeting available MSPs. Could you check your diaries? Stephen will circulate this information to other members of the committee. I do not know whether the adviser wants to talk only about the European dimension, or whether he is interested in other subject areas. However, I suspect that we will receive more such requests.

On the same day, from half-past 1 to half-past 3, a representative of the Spanish Government—the junior minister for regional government—and the President of the Valencian regional government would like to meet some MSPs. That will be on Wednesday 27 October. Again, we will circulate that information to committee members.

On 9 November, representatives from the regional government of Saxony-Anhalt will be available to address the committee on regional development and on how they deal with European affairs. We are certainly broadening our horizons.

Finally, the East of Scotland European Consortium conference will take place on 26 November. I have received an invitation to participate, but the consortium has also invited up to four other members of the committee to do so. We are looking for available and interested committee members to take part. Does the committee want to leave the matter until the next meeting?

Sylvia has volunteered straight away. Will other committee members consider the remaining three places? Perhaps Stephen could drop members a note with additional information as a separate item for next week.