SG responses to our questions
“ The things we stand to lose though leaving the EU membership and the Single Market are all things that we value and we do not want to lose them, so we will look very carefully at all the options presented in order to keep as many of the benefits of EU membership as we can.”
Our questions to the Scottish Government
Policies
- What policies if any will be put in place at UK and Scottish level to replace the Cohesion Policy framework?
- If such policies are to be established, how would the necessary Structural Funds be established and at what level would they be administered?
- How would Scotland feed into that process? How would the communities most affected be engaged to support development of policies behind the funds?
- We are not convinced the UK government has an interest in developing a cohesion policy that will be comprehensive enough to take into account Scottish islands’ needs or issues facing any peripheral area in Scotland. Is there appetite within the Scottish Government to challenge the UK Government on the crucial issue of Cohesion Policy replacement?
SG Response:
The Scottish Government supports the principles and benefits that underpins EU membership it and is looking at ways to continue with it. As expressed in the document “Scotland’s place in Europe”, the Scottish Government is committed to remain in the European Single Market, and this has been ratified by the Scottish Parliament’s vote on 17 January.
“ The things we stand to lose though leaving the EU membership and the Single Market are all things that we value and we do not want to lose them, so we will look very carefully at all the options presented in order to keep as many of the benefits of EU membership as we can.”
Structural funds
- How can existing levels of funding be protected?
- What will be asked of the UK Government in this respect?
- What funding guarantees can the Scottish government ask or provide?
SG response: The Scottish Government is very well aware of the issues and aware of the islands’ concerns. “We will do what we can to protect the islands’ interests and we intend to ask all these questions to the UK Government.”
EU Cooperation
- What measures are the Scottish Government prepared to take to ensure that cooperation with other EU island regions can continue?
SG response: Re EU cooperation, the Scottish Government has shared concerns and intends to do what it can for this to continue.
Island Farming and crofting
- How can the Scottish government protect unique geographical origins and protected names, such as Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb? What about Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), which are of such importance for the islands?
- How can free access to the European Single Market as proposed in “Scotland’s place in Europe” ensure agricultural goods and products are included?
- What assurance can the Scottish Government give that any new policy framework for Scottish farmers and crofters (direct payments and rural development measures) will be adequately funded and will take into consideration the special situation of island agriculture?
SG response: Post-2020, the UK withdrawal from the EU will have implications for projects currently funded by the EU, and that will impact Scotland.
The Scottish Government indicated it will negotiate with the UK Government to ensure that future financial support for initiatives that currently receive European funds is allocated on a fair and equitable basis across the UK.
Environment
- How is the Scottish Government planning to ensure that environmental protection which is crucial to the sensitive and fragile environment of Scotland’s islands will be continued?
- What about the 2020 goals and commitments to lowering carbon consumption, notably through production of renewable energy? Scotland has already exceeded its targets and has positioned it self as a model of innovative technology in Europe. But we are concerned that the Scottish islands lead in renewable energy production may be further eroded and hampered as shown already by the lack of support for the shovel ready projects of Remote Island Wind in the Northern and Western Isles. It is difficult to see how island communities will be able to maintain our lead in innovation and carbon reduction and invest in further renewable energy schemes in the future, if access to EU funds is blocked and the UK government continues to take retrograde steps on renewables.
Local authorities
- EU laws and regulations impact on many Council services, such as waste, employment, health and safety, consumer protection and trading and environmental standards, all of which affect the islands.
- How will the Scottish government ensure that regulatory power over such services will not be simply transferred from Brussels to an indifferent Westminster regime?
SG response: re Social policies and environment standards, our concern for Scotland is that these can be maintained, and for these reasons we will look for more devolved powers to come to Scotland.
It is more than likely that constitutional arrangements in the UK post-Brexit will have to change.
See SG paper, Scotland’s place in Europe
As Article 50 is triggered, see S.I.F. ‘s further thoughts on this here.