Scottish civil society voices prioritised ahead of crucial UK–EU summit

Scotland's civil society met UK Ministers to talk about working with Europe. Young people, health and business were key topics.

Monday marks a major moment for Scotland’s civil society as the Scottish Advisory Forum on Europe (SAFE), hosted by the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE) has been engaging with UK Government representatives and Parliamentarians ahead of the UK–EU Summit.

In the last week, SAFE has welcomed the Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, UK Minister for the Constitution and European Union Relations, to a high-level meeting in Edinburgh with stakeholders from across Scotland’s civil society landscape.

Participants included third sector leaders such as Change Mental Health, Enable Scotland, and the Citizens Rights Project, alongside representatives from Universities including the University of Edinburgh, and business voices from CBI Scotland, Prosper (formerly SCDI), and the Law Society of Scotland.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Dr Irene Oldfather, Chair of SAFE, said:

“Too often we think of Europe as being about foreign affairs, when in fact it’s about citizens and communities-and the challenges they face. These include the cost of food in our supermarkets, the availability of medicines in our high streets, the safety of consumer goods, and the security and price of energy in our homes. These are social determinants of health and impact communities deeply. We’re delighted that Minister Thomas-Symonds is taking the time, a week before the UK–EU Reset Summit, to come to Scotland and hear directly from civil society.”

After this, SAFE travelled to Westminster for its first UK Parliament event, hosted by Stephen Gethins MP and Richard Baker MP, to continue its work promoting stronger EU–UK civil society links-particularly around youth engagement.

This Westminster drop-in showcased SAFE’s Youth Participation Leaflet, jointly launched with the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), and highlight the urgent need to expand youth mobility schemes-including proposals to rejoin Erasmus+.

The momentum of these two events having been building toward the UK–EU Summit on 19 May, where a Joint Statement is expected to outline key priorities for collaboration. Topics of particular importance expressed by Scottish civil society include:

• Support the full restoration of the UK’s participation in Erasmus+, ensuring young people across Scotland have access to opportunities to study, train and volunteer across Europe.
• The recent UK Government decision to remove overseas care worker visa has led to concerns over labour shortages in the care sector. Reversing plans to restrict these visa is essential to safeguarding capacity and health and wellbeing.
• Reinstating touring opportunities for artists and links to the creative sector
• Reaching an agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, which would ease trade barriers for Scotland’s agrifood sector. This agreement could reduce checks and controls for goods like seed potatoes, meat and diary and allow for smoother export of Scottish produce to the EU.
• Creating meaningful opportunities for young people across all backgrounds to engage internationally

SAFE will be represented by Dr Irene Oldfather at the official UK–EU Summit Reception in Downing Street, reinforcing the voice of Scottish civil society at a critical moment for shaping the future of UK–EU relations.

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