MINISTERS have confirmed they are to open a new “Scotland House” hub in Copenhagen in the coming months and establish a Scottish Government headquarters in Warsaw in the coming few years, The Sunday National can reveal.
Plans were reported on earlier this year that the Scottish Government may expand its presence in the Nordic and Baltic region, most likely in Denmark, though it was underlined that no final decision had been made.
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Now the Scottish Government has confirmed to our paper that the office in the Danish capital is set to open early next year, while an HQ in Warsaw will follow during the current parliamentary term which ends in 2026.
Scottish Government offices are currently located in Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Dublin, London, Ottawa, Paris and Washington DC.
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The expansion of the network was seen as a bid to foster close economic and social ties in Europe and the wider world. This is the result of both the need to gain more influence overseas in the wake of Brexit and ahead of a planned second independence referendum – and the ambition to rejoin the European Union as an independent state.
“Scotland’s international network attracts investment and creates domestic opportunities and benefits for the people of Scotland,” a Scottish Government spokesman told The Sunday National. “We will continue to work with our friends and partners in Europe and beyond to reaffirm diplomatic ties, improve our global networks and unlock new economic and trading opportunities,”
“We will strengthen our base in Brussels and will next year open a Scottish Government Office in Copenhagen to increase Scotland’s economic and cultural visibility in the Nordic regions.
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“Over the lifetime of this Parliament we will also open an office in Warsaw as part of our continued commitment to enhancing our external reach and voice.”
He added: “Despite the challenges presented by Covid-19, the work to attract investment by our offices both at home and overseas has helped increase foreign direct investment into Scotland by 6% in 2020, compared to a 12% fall across the UK as a whole.”
Last year, Fine Gael European Affairs spokesman Neale Richmond said Scotland should set up offices in every European capital to prepare for re-entry into the EU as an independent nation.
He told the European Conversations podcast for the European Movement in Scotland: “The growing number of Scottish offices, be they in Brussels to the EU, be they in Berlin, Paris, that is absolutely the way to go.
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“To have a Scottish Government representation in each of the 27 member states should be a very realistic short-term goal for the Scottish Government to give that very distinct Scottish opinion.”
Former SNP MP Stephen Gethins suggested the location of Copenhagen in his book Nation To Nation: Scotland’s Place In The World.
He argued a centre in the Danish capital is a “sensible move that will help consolidate links with these neighbours and close European partners that will help our businesses, universities and the cultural sector among others”.
Giving evidence to a Holyrood committee last week EU expert Dr Kirsty Hughes said the Scottish Government’s hubs were important in keeping and building good international relations in the aftermath of Brexit.
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