Committee's EU law tracking will help MSPs and business
New research on EU legislative policy developments which will allow Scottish Parliament committees to keep up to date with these has been commissioned by Holyrood’s Constitution, Europe, External Affairs & Culture Committee.
With the Scottish Government committed to keeping pace with EU law despite Brexit, the work will explore changes to EU law in areas such as environmental protection, animal health and welfare, and equality and human rights, to enable the Parliament to scrutinise which areas will be most impacted by this commitment. It will be carried out by Dr Lisa Claire Whitten from Queen's University Belfast.
Dr Whitten's research will build on previous work commissioned by the committee on significant EU legislative developments within the scope of the Scottish Government’s policy commitment. Research reports will be published twice a year and will be available on the committee’s web pages.
These reports, including case studies outlining changes to EU law, will allow other committees to scrutinise performance on the Government’s commitment within their respective remits.
Committee Convener, Clare Adamson MSP said: "The UK including Scotland is no longer legally required to comply with EU law. But for many businesses in Scotland, being aware of EU legislation is crucial to meet the regulatory requirements of this significant export market.
"The Scottish Government made a commitment to keep pace with EU law, and report regularly on this. But it is our job to scrutinise the extent to which this is happening. The research announced today will aid this scrutiny and help us as we examine the instances where the Scottish Government is, and indeed is not, keeping pace.
"This research will not only benefit the Parliament. It will also help businesses and stakeholders to maintain awareness of the legislative framework, something which is vital for them if they wish to access the European market."
Dr Whitten added: "The opportunity to carry out this innovative research is an honour. Since the end of the UK Transition Period, in January 2021, I’ve been involved in a project that tracks changes in EU law that apply in Northern Ireland under the Protocol/Windsor Framework – doing so has yielded important insights into the evolving nature of, respectively, the EU and the UK legislative landscapes after Brexit. I am therefore delighted to be able to build on this work as I take forward the EU Law Tracker research on behalf of the Scottish Parliament."