The ALLIANCE Engagement in Europe programme 2021 review

Maintaining connections in Europe.

In 2021 we remained committed to building and maintaining strong third sector relationships and communications with colleagues in Europe.

Following our soft launch of EUPATI Scotland in 2020, we launched the programme website (this link will take you away from our website) in early 2021 and engaged regularly with our colleagues across other National Platforms in Europe. We were pleased to promote the EUPATI Open Classroom e-learning platform (this link will take you away from our website) which provides courses in medicines research and development for patients, patient representatives and other stakeholders.

In May, we hosted the first EUPATI Scotland Stakeholder meeting with colleagues from across Scottish sectors and patient representatives. The group will agree the priorities of work for moving forward with the aims of EUPATI Scotland. We are pleased to have confirmed representatives from academia, industry and patients:

• Academic Representative: Professor Roma McGuire, Professor of Digital Health and Care at the University of Strathclyde and Director of the Health and Care Futures initiative
• Industry: Alison Culpan, Director of ABPI Scotland
• Patient: John Paton, EUPATI Fellow

In the Autumn, EUPATI Scotland was represented by ALLIANCE Director Irene Oldfather at the EUPATI Central AGM. On this occasion we were able to link with representatives from other National Platforms to share good practice and innovation around patient involvement within medicines.

Following Brexit, we have not only ensured that we remain connected to European policy and practice, but also that the ALLIANCE has an active role in developing relations between the UK third sector and the EU moving forward.

In June 2021 we hosted a session at the ALLIANCE conference, ‘Looking to the future: What’s the role of civil society and the third sector in UK-EU relation?’ which brought together an impressive panel of speakers from across UK and Europe, and was chaired by Director Irene Oldfather. To discuss the position of Scotland’s third sector, within the UK and within Europe in the context of Brexit and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement we were joined by:

• Luca Jahier, former President of the EESC
• Maree Todd MSP, Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport
• Charles Whitmore, research associate at Cardiff University and coordinator of the Wales Civil Society Forum on Brexit
• Jane Morrice, former Deputy Speaker of the first new Northern Ireland (NI) Assembly and former Vice President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)

Throughout 2021 we partnered with other Scottish third sector organisations to work together to raise queries, concerns and opinions around our future relationship with Europe. Director Irene Oldfather participated in a Roundtable Discussion with SCVO and the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, Angus Robertson MSP, and we contributed to the report Asking Some Important Questions (this link will take you away from our website), coordinated by the Human Rights Consortium Scotland.

Throughout the year, we maintained a close interest in the proposed UK Government initiative following the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (this link will take you away from our website) to establish a Civil Society Forum. We submitted a bid to join the forum in order to connect with the other three nations on EU-UK relations, and are awaiting a decision.

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