Brexit impact: MSPs looking for input

1st August 2016 | europe

Views on the implications for Scotland on leaving the EU are being invited today by a committee of MSPs preparing a report for Scottish and UK ministers.

A call for views from businesses, organisations and individuals across Scotland has been issued by Holyrood's European & External Relations Committee as it extends the inquiry it has been undertaking over the summer.

So far the committee has invited representations from both Governments and arranged factfinding visits to London and Brussels to discuss the consequences of the Brexit vote. It will shortly publish an interim report on the work it has done to date in order to inform UK and Scottish Ministers in their ongoing negotiations.

As part of this work it is looking for what alternatives to EU membership may exist, in order to explore all the possible options on the table. The MSPs also want to probe the impact of Scotland leaving the EU on devolution.

Among other points the committee is also looking for views on:

  • how the withdrawal process might be managed at the EU and UK level, and what steps would be involved; 
  • the amount of time that might be required to deal with the negotiations;
  • how the interests of Scotland and the other constituent parts of the United Kingdom can be represented in those negotiations and what role the Scottish Government should have in those negotiations;
  • the positions likely to be taken by other member states;
  • the implications for UK and Scots law, particularly the need to repeal legislation and prepare new legislation to fill the gaps left by EU legislation;
  • the scale of the task and the implications for the Scottish Government and Parliament;
  • the implications for Scotland’s funding settlement;
  • the position of EU citizens in Scotland in the event of withdrawal from the EU;
  • the contribution that EU citizens make to Scotland’s economy and society.

Convener Joan McAlpine MSP commented:

“Our initial evidence-taking has only just scratched the surface of identifying the true impact on Scotland as a result of the Brexit, but its clear much more work is needed. This is why the committee has today asked for more views from across Scotland on how leaving the EU will impact upon them.

“Scotland is interconnected with the EU across a number of areas, from people, to investment, students, research and regional development funding to name a few. We need to understand both in the long and short term how Scotland will change as a result of this vote.

“More importantly when we hear from the Scottish and UK Ministers later on this year, we will put to them some of the initial views we have heard in order to seek to influence the long and lengthy negotiations that will now follow.”

Click here to view the call for evidence. The initial deadline for receipt of written submissions is Monday 5 September.