MEMBERS of the Scottish Affairs Committee are in Brussels for meetings with major players in the Brexit negotiations – a visit aimed at giving them an insight into possible scenarios for Scotland’s future relationship with Europe.
The committee will meet Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s chief negotiator on Brexit.
It is the first time a House of Commons Select Committee has met Verhofstadt since the referendum on EU membership.
The two-day fact finding visit will also include meetings with Scottish MEPs, representatives to the European Union from the UK and Scottish Governments, the European Free Trade Association and the EU itself.
SNP MP Pete Wishart, the committee's chairman, said ahead of the visit: “A General Election may have been called but that does not mean we can take our eye off the central issue that faces the UK and Scotland after June 8.
“On March 29 the Prime Minister gave notification of the UK’s intention to leave the EU, setting the clock running on a two-year period of negotiations.
“We must use every opportunity to investigate what the UK’s relationship with the EU will look like post-Brexit, and what this means for Scotland.”
He added: “We have heard a lot about different options for Scotland to have a continued relationship with the EU, but this will mean little without the political will to back it up.
“Our meetings with those likely to play a key role in future negotiations will be able to give us a clearer indication of the political realities that lie ahead.”
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