February 2024 Newsletter
Irene Oldfather: ‘This MOU is not just a piece of paper; it’s a testament to our shared interests and a platform for robust cooperation and support between Scotland’s civil society organisations and the EU.’
SAFE and the EESC sign a Memorandum of Understanding.
Irene Oldfather, Chair of SAFE, was shortlisted for the Leadership Award in the 2023 Scottish Public Service Awards. The shortlisting was in recognition of her exceptional leadership in ensuring Scottish interests are feeding into development of the post-Brexit UK-EU relationship.
The award ceremony took place on 6 December and was hosted by Deputy First Minister Shona Robison.
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Domestic Advisory Group Meeting in November
In November, the Domestic Advisory Groups of the United Kingdom and the European Union met and announced that they both support recent initiatives to engage and include young people in discussions on the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and future relations between the UK and the EU.
Following the meeting, they called for a consideration of a Youth Mobility Scheme that would be consistent with the current settlement and could creatively offer opportunities for young people to experience the value that travel and exchange can provide across the territories.
In the afternoon they held a meeting with the Rt Hon Sir Oliver Heald KC MP the chair of the Parliamentary Partnership Assembly (PPA). The session provided an opportunity to discuss a range of issues including energy co-operation across Europe, as well as relations between the PPA, civil society and the devolved institutions. There was also a major debate on the Future of Europe and on the future relationship between the UK and the EU.
November DAG meeting in London with Irene Oldfather DAG Vice Chair with DAG Chair Sean McGuire and Second Vice chair Steve Turner.
At the end of the day, a joint statement was issued by the UK-EU Domestic Advisory Groups (DAG) following their meeting at the second Civil Society Forum (CSF) on Tuesday 7, November 7th, 2023, highlighted positive developments since the first Civil Society Forum (CSF) and outlined ongoing challenges.
The Chair of the UK DAG, Sean MacGuire from CBI Europe, and his European counterparts, highlighted the successes achieved so far, which included the agreement on the Windsor Framework, the Memorandum of Understanding on Financial Services, and the UK's accession to Horizon Europe and Copernicus.
Irene Oldfather reflected her optimism on the developments with Europe in an opinion piece in the Third Force News (TFN).
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Enable has joined as SAFE’s latest member
Enable Scotland, a charity that champion the rights of disabled people to gain sustainable work, has become the newest member of SAFE.
Enable provides human rights-driven self-directed social care, employment, education and training, and inclusive communities for people with learning.
Enable is also a founding member of Inclusion Europe, a pan-European network representing 20 million people with intellectual disabilities and their family members from 39 European countries.
UK joins Horizon Europe
Scotland’s scientists will have access to the world’s largest research collaboration programme, Horizon Europe, as the UK Government signed a bespoke deal for the UK’s participation. Having access to this 95 billion Euro Horizon programme on Research and Innovation, is a prime example of how working together we can achieve more.
Scotland will benefit from the deal in a variety of ways such as increased access to research funding, greater collaboration with European partners, and participation in cutting-edge research and innovation projects.
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SAFE Members gave evidence to Scottish Parliament’s Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee
SAFE Members travelled to Edinburgh to participate in the Committee’s evidence session on the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Members addressed various topics, including business, pharmaceuticals, academia, women's issues, energy, and climate change. They also contributed their perspectives on the Committee’s work in relation to the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. You can find the full report here.
UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement Domestic Advisory Group Update
The UK DAG held an online meeting considering the sub-committee reports. The reports will be collated and incorporated into a final report which will be on the agenda at the DAG’s next meeting in Edinburgh on 26 April. For more information please contact:
rory.chapman@alliance-scotland.org.uk
SAFE’s next meeting scheduled on 15 April in Edinburgh
We're in the midst of planning the next Scottish Advisory Forum on Europe (SAFE) meeting, scheduled to coincide with the visit of the EU Ambassador to Edinburgh on Monday 15 April.
This presents a unique opportunity for SAFE members, spanning from Scottish businesses to third-sector organisations, to engage with the European official and advocate for key issues.
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