INTRODUCTION
The purpose of the Scottish Government is to create a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish through increasing sustainable economic growth. This provides the direction for our international engagement, focused on achieving the three objectives set out in our International Framework: increasing population growth, bringing a sharper economic growth focus to the promotion of Scotland abroad, and presenting Scotland as a distinctive, independent minded, responsible nation.
The EU provides Scotland with access to the world's largest trading market - the Single Market of almost half a billion consumers. It is our most important export market, with £9.5 billion 1 of our exports destined for the EU in 2007. Funds from the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund have long supported projects in Scotland; designed to ensure that all of our diverse regions and communities can benefit from European opportunities. For the period 2000-2006 Scotland received an allocation of €1.7 billion. While our share of EU funds is now decreasing they are still important to our economy, the €820 million allocated to Scotland for 2007 - 2013 is playing a key role in our economic recovery programme as the Scottish Government front loads spending to stimulate economic activity.
The Scottish Government has a key role to play in enhancing Scotland's profile in Europe, placing Scotland at the heart of European activity from where we can benefit fully from the opportunities available. We must strengthen Scotland's presence in the European Union so that our interests are heard on the issues that impact both our citizens and our economic growth. Not only must we ensure that Scotland fully grasp the opportunities that the EU presents but we should also ensure that Scotland plays a full part in shaping EU policies of the future in areas in which we can lead the field, such as marine renewable energy and creating a sustainable fisheries industry.
Ultimately these ambitions can only be fulfilled when Scotland has full standing as an independent Member State of the EU - a separate and distinctive voice at the negotiating table giving due weight to Scottish interests. However even within the constraints of the current constitutional arrangements there is significant work that we as the Government of Scotland, working with the wide spectrum of Scotland's stakeholders and representatives in Europe, can do to advance Scotland's interests in Europe.
Our efforts and activity in the European arena must be properly focused to maximise the impact we make. There are three categories of work in which we should engage. Firstly, we must continue to track key EU legislation and developments that will impact Scotland so that we can react positively to the benefits and defensively to the threats that these pose; Secondly, we must strategically consider the areas in which Scotland has a particular interest and unique experiences which mean that, by taking a lead role we can shape developments to the benefit of both Scotland and our European partners. Finally we must be pro-active in our engagement with Europe: raising Scotland's profile by participating in the development of EU policy making, through, for example, responding directly to Commission consultations, building links with key MEPs and participating in Council meetings.
Developing these three strands of work is the basis of our engagement with the Europe Union, a platform from which we can raise Scotland's profile and take full advantage of the opportunities Europe offers while demonstrating that Scotland is a responsible nation with a high degree of experience, expertise and creativity to contribute to the shaping of an EU that is ready to rise to the challenges of our times.
Michael Russell MSP
Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution