Chamber and committees

One of the advantages of passing the legislation at this stage—I do not know the exact timescale for its passage through the Parliament—when the event is not until 2028 is that it will give Glasgow City Council and Glasgow Life, which will be doing a lot of the work for the event, plenty of warning and an opportunity to prepare. I hope that that long run-in will help. The Scottish Government will also be closely co-ordinating with Glasgow City Council and Glasgow Life, so there will be a lot of joint working between now and the event in 2028.

Glasgow City Council and its trading standards officers have a big role to play in the licensing and enforcement of street trading. If any issues arise, we will have the opportunity to hear about those from the council.

Those are certainly issues to raise with the Scottish Football Association—it probably has more influence than us on some of those issues.

Thank you, convener, and good morning to the committee.

I, too, appreciate this opportunity to speak to you all about the UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Bill. It is a vital step in enabling Scotland to play its part in hosting Euro 2028, which is, as you will all know, one of the most prestigious sporting events in the whole world; it ensures that we meet the requirements of the Union of European Football Associations, particularly around commercial rights and enforcement; and it allows us to deliver a world-class tournament in Glasgow.

Hosting Euro 2028 also presents a unique opportunity to build on Scotland’s strong track record of delivering major events. From the Commonwealth games to the 26th United Nations climate change conference of the parties—COP26—we have always shown that Scotland can host with distinction, combining professionalism with a very warm welcome. The tournament will allow us to further enhance our reputation as a trusted international partner and as a destination that delivers not only for fans and athletes but for communities and businesses, too.

Euro 2028 is more than a football tournament; it is a platform for showcasing our country on the international stage as somewhere dynamic, welcoming and ambitious. The projected economic impact across the United Kingdom and Ireland is significant—up to £2.6 billion—and Glasgow stands to benefit from increased tourism, investment and global visibility.

However, the benefits go beyond numbers. The Euro 2028 legacy vision is aimed at growing a more diverse and inclusive game, and a key priority for the Scottish Government is to widen those benefits and spread the impact throughout Scotland, furthering a number of national outcomes.

The bill also seeks to create opportunities for communities, businesses and fans and ensures that Scotland’s role in this historic event is protected from exploitation, whether it be ticket touting, unauthorised trading or ambush marketing. Indeed, it introduces targeted measures to safeguard the tournament’s integrity and the rights of those who have invested in it.

We have worked closely with partners across these islands and Ireland and with key stakeholders here in Scotland to ensure that our approach is proportionate, effective and informed by experience, including lessons from hosting Euro 2020. I look forward to working with the committee as the bill progresses, and we will, of course, do our best to answer your questions.

There are powers for enforcement officers deployed by Glasgow City Council and, indeed, the police to enforce the various restrictions in the zones for the duration of Euro 2028. Those powers largely reflect other bits of Government legislation, for instance, with regard to entering premises.

Our general approach is that, if you have to enter premises to stop an infringement, you will need a warrant. However, there are circumstances in which, if the delay in securing that warrant defeats the whole purpose of stopping the infringement in the first place, you will be able to enter without one. However, that does not apply to homes and dwelling places—it applies simply to premises.

Yes, but Northern Ireland has taken a decision in the context that it is not hosting any matches. We are hosting matches, and the issues are clearly devolved.

The constitutional arrangements for Wales are slightly different, so how the Welsh Government wants to engage with the UK Government is up to it. Whether it works with the UK Government on aspects that are different to the ones that we are working on in Scotland is a choice for it to make. We did our own bills for Euro 2020—which was held in 2021—and for the Commonwealth games in 2014 without any controversy; we are simply following that pattern.

Yes.

I hope that the committee has noticed from the policy memorandum that various human rights impact assessments have been carried out. Clearly, the powers are time limited to the duration of the event both in the event zone around Hampden park and a fan zone that has still to be identified and decided on by Glasgow City Council. Whether it be George Square, Glasgow Green or wherever, that decision has still to be taken. Again, these are time-limited powers, for the weeks around the event.

We have done our best to strike a balance. The powers are relatively similar to those in the UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Act 2020, but there are requirements that we have to meet as a host nation for Euro 2028, and that is the purpose of the bill.

I can expand on that in answering any further questions that you have in that respect.

Touting is multifaceted. Clearly, we need to co-operate with other countries and the rest of the UK in relation to some aspects. However, other aspects relate to what happens outside Hampden park for example, and it is obviously appropriate that we legislate for that, as required by UEFA.

No, it is not touting—that is the point. That is why they are exempt.

There will be a lot of joint working on common issues among the partners in Scotland, across the UK and Ireland—Ireland is a co-host as well; it is not just the UK—and there is an organisation that brings all the partners together. There is a lot of work to be done between now and the event itself.

Technology is constantly advancing, and UEFA is very conscious of that. There are two key areas in which that must be addressed. The first is the issue of legality and enforcement at the local level and within jurisdictions. The second is the terms and conditions that UEFA has for its own tickets. In one of its submissions to the committee, it referred to the “distress” that is caused when people turn up with tickets and cannot get into tournaments because they have purchased them in the wrong place or whatever and they are not valid. UEFA has its own ways of enforcing its terms and conditions for its tickets at stadiums. I hope that we can get right those two prongs so that ordinary fans have access to tickets.