This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Partners for Development
30/01/2002
Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning, Wendy Alexander today met with key European partners to boost Scotland's economic development
Ms Alexander was in Brussels to meet Ernst Schwanhold, the Minister for Small Businesses in the German province of Nordrhein Westfalen.
At their meeting the Ministers launched a report - "Partners for Development" - outlining opportunities for collaboration between Scotland and NRW, two strong and important European regions, to improve the environment for enterprise in each area.
Launching the report which looks in detail at the different approaches taken in economic development in each area, Ms Alexander said:
"Scotland and Nordrhein-Westfalen have a lot in common, and a lot to learn from one another. This project is concrete demonstration of two strong European regions working together to the benefit of both.
"Economic development is about creating the right environment for businesses to flourish, especially businesses which can help our regions thrive in a highly competitive world.
"Small businesses make a crucial contribution to the Scottish economy, and like our colleagues in Nordrhein-Westfalen, we are firmly committed to stimulating the creation, competitiveness and growth of new and small businesses.
"This report helps us to work with those dealing differently with the same challenges and points to areas where we could profitably develop closer links."
"Scotland has developed, and continues to develop, sophisticated ideas on the synergies that can be developed in business through cluster development.
"Scotland is introducing enterprise education in inventive ways.
"Nordrhein-Westfalen has an impressive record in terms of environmental industries.
"And in both regions much of our respective economic development work is supported through effective (but distinctive) management of European Structural Funds.
"These examples illustrate the lessons we can learn from one another. I hope we can continue to build on these lessons to find new ways to help Scottish businesses to grow in a European context."
"Partners for Development" is the result of a year long investigation by officials engaged in economic development and European Structural Funds in Scotland and Nordrhein-Westfalen. The investigation sought deeper understanding of the respective approaches to:
Land renewal and environmental reclamation;
- Support for small firm formation;
- Sustainable development;
- Cluster approach to economic development; and
- Management of European Structural Funds.
The report is launched at Scotland House, Rond-Point Schuman 6, Brussels, at 1100 local time, on Wednesday 30 January 2002. The launch will be conducted by Wendy Alexander, Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning, and Ernst Schwanhold, Minister for Finance, Small Businesses, Energy and Transport in Nordrhein-Westfalen.
The report identifies specific strengths in the respective approaches by each region, and the different institutional arrangements in each region; and identifies a number of areas of potential future collaboration which could be of mutual benefit to economic development in each region.