Chamber and committees

I would like to ask a final question, but I am completely out of time, so I will share my thoughts with regard to Mr Brown’s question. In relation to funding, is it fair to compare Scotland as a non-state, if you like, with other states? Would it be fairer to compare Scotland with the Basque Country, Catalonia and some of the Länder? We only have time for yes or no answers.

Thank you, cabinet secretary. I certainly welcome the reports. It has been really useful to see the level of detail that we now have available to us.

In your letter, you agreed with Dr Whitten’s assessment in her EU law tracker report that a degree of diversion is a risk that will likely occur cumulatively, potentially becoming significant in the future. Can you expand on the challenges that the Scottish Government has in that respect? What would be the significant implications of regulatory divergence for businesses that are seeking to trade with the EU and in the internal market, including Northern Ireland?

I think that it is fine.

I am afraid that we have come to the end of our time. The fact that we have run right up against it is testament to how much we have enjoyed the session. We are thankful for your contributions. Thank you, both, very much for attending.

Good morning, and a warm welcome to the 30th meeting in 2023 of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee. We have received apologies from Kate Forbes, who is being substituted by Audrey Nicoll—a warm welcome to her, too—and from deputy convener, Donald Cameron MSP. I know that our thoughts will be with Donald this week.

Mr Cameron will be substituted by Pam Gosal, whom I welcome to the committee. As this is your first time here, Pam, I invite you to make a declaration of interests.

Our main agenda item this morning is the continuation of our evidence taking for the committee’s inquiry into the Scottish Government’s national outcomes and indicators relating to international policy. We are joined remotely by Noé Cornago, associate professor of international law and international relationships, University of the Basque Country; and Professor Stéphane Paquin from the national school of public administration in Quebec. Thank you both for joining us this morning, but a special thank you to our colleague from Quebec—I understand that this will be a very early start for you this morning.

I will open with a general question about how civil society plays a part in the paradiplomacy that happens in your countries. I will bring in Noé Cornago first.

I would like to ask a supplementary along the lines of Mr Stewart’s questioning. When the committee visited Brussels, it met the Canadian mission. Given the new situation that Scotland finds itself in outside the European Union, can you tell us how Quebec integrates with the Canadian mission as a third party in Brussels? Moreover, how does Basque paradiplomacy happen in Brussels, given that the Basque Country itself is still within the European Union?

I will take a supplementary question from Mr Bibby, then bring Ms Nicoll back in.

Thank you. We are very tight for time—we need to close for chamber business shortly—but I want to squeeze in one final question.

I was interested when Ms Gosal mentioned some of the expertise that Scotland has in education, quantum computing, artificial intelligence and data, robotics and software and games. Outside the European Union, we find ourselves in a situation where Northern Ireland, as a result of the Windsor framework, keeps pace with Europe by default. There is a political statement from the Senedd in Wales and from the Government in Scotland that we should also keep pace with developments in Europe, but the UK Government has no stated objectives. We have recently seen the European Union legislate on AI, and, of course, the UK Government had a recent Bletchley Park summit on that issue.

Can you give a brief reflection on how you influence global issues, such as AI regulation, climate justice or some of the bigger global challenges, and how you have your voices heard in those negotiations, deliberations and summits? I will go to Professor Cornago first.

Thank you. I will move to questions from my colleagues and call Mr Stewart first.