EU investment in Scottish jobs and skills.
The EU is about far more than just money, but Scotland does well out of EU funding! The EU also gives devolved administrations such as the Scottish Government access to substantial amounts of capital funding in their own right. For example, the EU will provide almost €1 billion (£790 million) in structural funds to Scotland over the next six years.[1]
The majority of EU funding will support:
- Offshore wind capacity
- Transport infrastructure investment
- Wave and tidal energy production
- Agriculture
- Marine bio-sciences
The co-ordination of such investment with our partners in Europe not only helps to increase efficiency across the continent but also gives more flexibility opportunities for Scotland’s government, universities and companies. In a period during which the UK government is so unrepresentative of what the people of Scotland voted for, this is a huge bonus.
More information on projects funded by the EU in Scotland can be found on the EU Regional Policy Website (click here).
Examples of this include funding the recently completed ISLES project. This was funded through European Territorial Cooperation (INTERREG) and will help to develop an offshore electricity network between Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.[2] More information about this project can be found by clicking here.
[1] ‘EU to invest over 1 billion euro in Scotland for research, innovation and a resource-efficient economy’, European Commission Statement, 11 December 2014. This story was also covered in the Scottish national press: ‘Scotland to benefit from £775m Euro funding over next six years’, The Herald, 19 December 2014.
[2] ‘Balance of Competences Review, the Scottish Government’s Response’ The Scottish Government.