Chamber and committees

Ambassador, you have mentioned young people quite a few times. My experience at the Nordic Council showed me how much the youth from each country were included in the process. They took part in the plenary sessions and were fully involved.

As a country, we were very active in the Erasmus exchange across Europe. Considering the economic challenges and the growth areas that you see for young people, how can our educational establishments and young people continue to engage in that kind of exchange across Europe, albeit that that would be outwith the European Union?

I turn to our remit. The committee has a long name, which includes not only constitution and external affairs but culture. Last year, we had an international culture summit, with a special day that was focused on Ukraine and its culture, which was about how we might be able to sustain Ukrainians’ cultural identity, to help them to maintain their collections and to support Ukrainian culture. During the Edinburgh festival, we had performances from the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra and the Ukrainian Freedom Ballet.

As the dreadful war in Ukraine continues, what is the European Union doing to support and celebrate Ukrainian culture?

Good morning, and welcome to the second meeting in 2023 of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee.

The first item on the agenda is a decision on taking business in private. Are members content to take item 4 in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Our second agenda item is on the presidency of the Council of the European Union, and we are going to take evidence from Her Excellency Mikaela Kumlin Granit, Ambassador of Sweden to the United Kingdom. We want to examine the priorities of the Swedish presidency of the Council of the European Union, which runs from January to June this year.

I give a warm welcome to the ambassador. Your excellency, would you like to make a short opening statement?

Good morning everyone, and a warm welcome to the first meeting of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee in 2023. Our only agenda item is to take evidence as part of our budget scrutiny of the culture spending portfolio for 2023-24 following on from the committee’s pre-budget scrutiny last year.

We are joined in a round-table discussion today by Alex Paterson, chief executive of Historic Environment Scotland; Iain Munro, chief executive of Creative Scotland; Donald Smith, director of the Scottish international storytelling festival and chair of the programmers group at Festivals Edinburgh; Chris Sherrington, policy and strategy support at the Music Venue Trust; Moira Jeffrey, director of the Scottish Contemporary Art Network; and Sir John Leighton, director general of the National Galleries of Scotland. Thank you all for your attendance at the committee this morning.

I will begin with a general question. In our pre-budget scrutiny report, we concluded that

“the sector now faces a ‘perfect storm’ as it struggles to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, compounded by the cost of living crisis, and following on from longer term budget pressures.”

What is your assessment of how the Scottish budget for 2023-24 has responded to that “perfect storm”? How, if at all, has the outlook for the sector changed since evidence was presented to the committee a couple of months ago?

I invite Iain Munro to start.

I think that we have exhausted our questions. I thank everyone for what, as Sarah Boyack said, has been a really important and interesting session to have had prior to the budget.

Next week, we will take evidence from the cabinet secretary on the budget. We will also hear from the Swedish ambassador on the priorities of the presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Mr Sherrington, did you want to come in?

Last night, we hosted the Scottish Youth Film Foundation. That organisation, which started by working in schools in Armadale, is a great example that has developed and is now feeding people through to working in the arts. That is quite profound, and it was timely to have hosted that organisation last night.

I am just going to ask all the witnesses to respond in turn. Ms Jeffrey, would you like to go ahead?

It was remiss of me not to thank you all for your previous written submissions on the budget process and the newer updated ones that came in before today’s meeting. I expect a free-flowing round-table discussion, so if you want to come in and answer a question that has not been directed at you by a member, please catch my eye or the clerk’s eye and we will try to get you in.

I open with questions from members, and I invite Ms Boyack first.