Seòmar agus comataidhean

Welcome back. I remind members that we have no flexibility on time and that we have other agenda items to get through this morning.

Our third agenda item is consideration of a draft statutory instrument. Following the evidence session with the cabinet secretary and his officials, the committee will be invited under the next agenda item to consider a motion recommending that the instrument be approved. I remind members that Scottish Government officials can speak under this agenda item but not under the next agenda item.

I welcome back to the committee Angus Robertson, the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture. He is supported by Greig Walker, retained EU law act management lead, and David Maclennan, lawyer for the Scottish Government. I invite the cabinet secretary to make a brief opening statement.

Agenda item 5 is an evidence-taking session on the challenges of artists’ mobility between Scotland and the EU, with a focus on the music industry. The evidence will inform our inquiry on the review of the UK-EU trade and co-operation agreement, as well as our on-going input into the UK-EU parliamentary partnership assembly in advance of its next meeting on 4 to 5 December.

We are joined this morning by Sam Dunkley, acting regional organiser of the Musicians Union; Alice Black, Scottish live events branch, Bectu, who is joining us online this morning; Alistair Mackie, chief executive of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Ewan Robertson, board member of Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland; and Lisa Whytock, director of Active Events, who is also joining us online.

I invite each of our witnesses to give a short overview of the challenges experienced by touring artists post-EU exit from their own organisation’s perspectives. I will begin with Ms Whytock.

Ewan, do you want to go first, as you mentioned Skerryvore?

Good morning, and a warm welcome to the 30th meeting in 2023 of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee. We have received apologies from Kate Forbes, who is being substituted by Audrey Nicoll—a warm welcome to her, too—and from deputy convener, Donald Cameron MSP. I know that our thoughts will be with Donald this week.

Mr Cameron will be substituted by Pam Gosal, whom I welcome to the committee. As this is your first time here, Pam, I invite you to make a declaration of interests.

Our main agenda item this morning is the continuation of our evidence taking for the committee’s inquiry into the Scottish Government’s national outcomes and indicators relating to international policy. We are joined remotely by Noé Cornago, associate professor of international law and international relationships, University of the Basque Country; and Professor Stéphane Paquin from the national school of public administration in Quebec. Thank you both for joining us this morning, but a special thank you to our colleague from Quebec—I understand that this will be a very early start for you this morning.

I will open with a general question about how civil society plays a part in the paradiplomacy that happens in your countries. I will bring in Noé Cornago first.

I would like to ask a supplementary along the lines of Mr Stewart’s questioning. When the committee visited Brussels, it met the Canadian mission. Given the new situation that Scotland finds itself in outside the European Union, can you tell us how Quebec integrates with the Canadian mission as a third party in Brussels? Moreover, how does Basque paradiplomacy happen in Brussels, given that the Basque Country itself is still within the European Union?

I will take a supplementary question from Mr Bibby, then bring Ms Nicoll back in.

I think that it is fine.

I am afraid that we have come to the end of our time. The fact that we have run right up against it is testament to how much we have enjoyed the session. We are thankful for your contributions. Thank you, both, very much for attending.

Thank you. We are very tight for time—we need to close for chamber business shortly—but I want to squeeze in one final question.

I was interested when Ms Gosal mentioned some of the expertise that Scotland has in education, quantum computing, artificial intelligence and data, robotics and software and games. Outside the European Union, we find ourselves in a situation where Northern Ireland, as a result of the Windsor framework, keeps pace with Europe by default. There is a political statement from the Senedd in Wales and from the Government in Scotland that we should also keep pace with developments in Europe, but the UK Government has no stated objectives. We have recently seen the European Union legislate on AI, and, of course, the UK Government had a recent Bletchley Park summit on that issue.

Can you give a brief reflection on how you influence global issues, such as AI regulation, climate justice or some of the bigger global challenges, and how you have your voices heard in those negotiations, deliberations and summits? I will go to Professor Cornago first.