First Minister Alex Salmond has met four senior European Commissioners to register Scotland’s key areas of interests and help raise Scotland’s international profile.
Salmond, who is in Belgium to attended commemorations marking the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele, met Commissioners with responsibilities for Fisheries, Trade, Budget and the Internal Market yesterday to lay the groundwork for strengthening Scotland’s role in Europe.
He said that the meetings had proved “highly productive” and that the discussions had helped raise Scotland’s profile within the Commission.
He continued: “Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson provided a useful update on the World Trade round and the progress towards agreement. We also had useful discussions on the necessity to continue protecting the Scottish salmon industry against salmon dumping and the measures required.
“My discussions with Budget Commissioner Dalia Grybauskaite gave us a real opportunity to get Scotland ahead of the game by actually influencing the decision makers early on in the budget process and influence their thinking.
“Charlie McCreevy the Internal Market Commissioner showed great interest and knowledge of Scotland’s highly successful Financial Services industry and we had an interesting discussion on the particular Scottish strengths in the sector.”
Salmond also met Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg to stress that with the change in administration has come a change in priorities, and said that the new Scottish Government is determined to do more to protect Scotland’s fishing interests.
He continued: “We agreed there were ways we could cooperate to mitigate some of the adverse effects fisheries policy has on the Scottish fishing industry. Increased direct communication between the Scottish fishing industry, the Scottish Government and decision makers here in Brussels will ensure that the concerns of our fishing industry are heard. Such direct engagement with those in the industry is essential to produce ideas which will work.”
Following the meetings Salmond also attended a ceremony at Tyne Cot Cemetery and laid a wreath at the Menin Gate, Ypres in memory of the large number of Scots who lost their lives during the 1917 battle.
Salmond said: “No family in Scotland was untouched and no community unaffected by the loss of so many young soldiers who died in 1917. The carnage of Passchendaele is a poignant reminder of why the European institutions were established, to build lasting peace and prosperity in our continent.”
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