Scottish Government Debate: Implications for Culture, Creative Industries, and Tourism following the EU Referendum

Fiona Hyslop S5M-02795 That the Parliament believes that the interests of Scotland’s culture, creative and tourism sectors are best served by protecting the country's existing relationship with Europe, and in particular maintaining freedom of movement and access to EU funding and collaboration mechanisms; recognises the potentially severe negative impact that any hard Brexit proposed by the UK Government could have on the sectors’ ability to compete in terms of cultural exports, staffing, skills and talent recruitment and retention, research and knowledge exchange, ability to influence key cultural policy, such as copyright law, and access to key EU markets; acknowledges the importance of EU-funded projects to the culture, creative industries and tourism sectors for networking and developing partnerships, including over €11.5 million of Creative Europe grants to projects involving Scottish partners since 2014, and supports the Scottish Government’s position that the UK Government needs to find ways to maintain its influence as proposals develop for the digital single market. The Presiding Officer has selected the following amendments Jackson Carlaw S5M-02795.1 As an amendment to motion S5M-02795 in the name of Fiona Hyslop (Implications for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism following the EU Referendum), leave out from "the country's existing" to end and insert "Scotland’s position within the UK and ensuring that Scotland retains unfettered access to the UK single market and leaves the EU on the same terms as the rest of the UK; recognises the potentially severe negative impact that any future Scottish independence referendum would have on the economic growth of Scotland’s culture, creative industries and tourism sectors, in particular, because Scotland exports more in creative industries to the rest of the UK than it does to its EU and other international partners; acknowledges that it is in Scotland’s interests to maintain a strong relationship with its European and other international partners, and recognises the benefits that Brexit may bring to these industries through the UK Government concluding free-trade agreements with the EU and other countries around the globe." Lewis Macdonald S5M-02795.2 As an amendment to motion S5M-02795 in the name of Fiona Hyslop (Implications for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism following the EU Referendum), after “mechanisms” insert "; believes that, with the approach of the 70th anniversary of the Edinburgh International Festival in 2017, it is more important than ever to promote the inclusive and outward-looking character of Scotland's culture and its welcome to the world".