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Office in Scotland
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Office in Scotland

Office in Scotland

The Office of the European Commission in Scotland was set up in 1975, and acts as a bridge between the people, politicians, businesses and organisations of Scotland and the departments and personnel of the EU institution based in Brussels. The Head of Office is Neil Mitchison.

The office is located in the centre of Edinburgh, just a few steps from the West End of Princes Street.

European Commission
Office in Scotland
9 Alva Street
Edinburgh EH2 4PH

Tel: 0131 225 2058
Fax: 0131 226 4105

Patients' Rights in Cross-border Healthcare

The European Commission has adopted an important new proposal for a Directive on patient's rights in cross border healthcare. The initiative seeks to clarify how patients can exercise their rights to healthcare cross-border - that is, in other Member States - and aims to ensure high quality care when they do so. It also sets out responsibilities for Member States and healthcare providers, and promotes co-operation between health systems to provide better access to specialised care. 

Watch the video to find out more

Good Food Show Glasgow

On 11-13 November the European Commission's Directorate General for Health & Consumers and the Good Food Show Scotland celebrated the 250th anniversary of the veterinary profession with a host of educational cookery demos, led by some of Scotland's most promising chefs, designed to showcase the importance of food safety and the role vets play in ensuring the food chain remains safe all the way from farm to fork.

See the video

Digital Agenda for Europe

On 26 October European Commission officials presented the Digital Agenda for Europe to Scottish stakeholders as part of a 'going local' consultation exercise. Lesley Stewart explained the Scottish Government's approach to infrastructure questions, followed by a contribution by Professor Peter Buneman, looking at the particular challenges of broadband rollout in rural Scotland. The afternoon was spent discussing questions around content and rights in digital transmission, as well as ways in which the development of digital communication could serve wider ends, particularly in education and health.

CAP reform

Specialists from the European Commission's Directorate General for Agriculture were in Edinburgh on 13 October to discuss the Commission's proposals for reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) with Scottish stakeholders.  Over 70 representatives from the Scottish Government and agricultural organisations attended the consultation.

EU Polish Presidency event

1 July marked the start of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.  In celebration, the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Edinburgh organised a Polish Day in St. Andrew Square with the Cracow Youth Jazz Band, a puppet theatre, craft presentations, food tasting and Polish folk dancers. The European Commission and European Parliament offices participated with an information stand and a welcome from our Head of Office, Neil Mitchison.

INSPIRE conference

This year's INSPIRE conference was held in Edinburgh at the EICC from 27th June to 1st July.  INSPIRE is a European Commission-led project to improve and harmonise geographic information across Europe so as to better support policies and activities which impact on the environment. The European Commission Office in Scotland co-hosted a reception for the 600 delegates who attended from as far a field as Nigeria and Turkey.

Europe Day Celebrations

Volunteers and voluntary organisations were the focus of attention at this year's Europe Day celebration in Aberdeen on May 9.  As part of the European Year of Volunteering, the European Commission Office, Aberdeen City Council and ACVO-Volunteer Centre co-hosted a civic reception to recognise and celebrate the important contribution of Aberdeen's volunteers and organisers.  Over thirty different organisations were welcomed to the magnificent Town and County Hall by the Lord Provost of Aberdeen, Peter Stephen.   They were joined by representatives from Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council and Europe Direct in what was a relaxed and highly enjoyable evening.
Neil Mitchison with Sandy Mathers and Rod McDermid of ACVO-Volunteer Centre

Neil Mitchison with Sandy Mathers and Rod McDermid of ACVO-Volunteer Centre

Glasgow students triumph in Brussels

Two pupils at King's Park Secondary School have brought acclaim to Glasgow by winning a prestigious award in Brussels .  Glen Melville and Eilidh Shearer, S3 pupils at the school, fought off stiff competition from over 40 other Scottish schools to win an IBM-sponsored Trophy at the Scottish European Educational Trust's "Talk your way to Brussels" Speaking Competition held at Scotland House in the Belgian capital last week.

Glenn and Eilidh spoke about the importance of learning a foreign language and put forward their ideas for making language learning in schools more exciting. Their own linguistic skills were put to the test when they were required to deliver a summing up and vote of thanks in French.

Five schools went through to the final in Brussels: Douglas Academy, Milngavie, King's Park, Glasgow (winners), Sandwick Junior High, Shetland, St. Margaret's, Aberdeen and St Thomas of Aquin's, Edinburgh.
"Talk your way to Brussels" finalists

"Talk your way to Brussels" finalists

Crieff pupil wins in EU Young Translators’ Contest

The UK winner of the European Commission’s annual ‘JuvenesTranslatores’ Young Translators’ Contest is Morrison’s Academy head girl, Emma Robertson. She was one of around 3,000 17-year-old secondary school pupils – from Kells in Ireland to Marathon in Greece – to sit the contest.

In the contest, each pupil had two hours to translate a one-page text from a language of their choice into one of the EU’s 22 other official languages. The translations were marked by staff translators from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Translation. A selection board then picked the best translation from each EU country.  Emma's translation from French into English, "Europe holds out its hand to Julien", was described by her marker as ‘a delight to read’.

The prize for each winner was a three-day trip to Brussels with the chance to meet EU translators at work in the Commission.  Emma was accompanied by Mr Edward Coffey, Head of Modern Languages at Morrison’s, who said he hoped that her success will "help to dispel the myth that we Scots are not good language learners.  Emma exemplifies the skills and qualities that more and more businesses are looking for in our future work-force by offering excellent communication skills, both in her own and other languages.”
Emma Robertson

Emma Robertson

What does the European Commission Office in Scotland do?

We report back to Commissioners and officials in Brussels on EU-related aspects of Scottish political and business life and help people here in Scotland to have a better understanding of European issues and the Commission’s role in the EU.

A major task of the office is to follow the EU-related work of the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament. We have regular contacts with Ministers, MSPs and with the permanent staff of the Government and Parliament.

The Office handles a wide range of Scottish press and media enquiries on current EU issues. Press releases issued by the Commission in Brussels are readily accessible via the web here.

If Scottish journalists have any further questions, we are happy to hear from them and will advise on any aspect of EU policy with impact in Scotland.
Neil MitchisonHead of Office

Neil Mitchison
Head of Office
Veronica MihaiPA to Head of Office and Office ManagerEmail: veronica.mihai at ec.europa.eu

Veronica Mihai
PA to Head of Office and Office Manager
Email: veronica.mihai at ec.europa.eu
Caroline WinchesterPress and Policy OfficerEmail: caroline.winchester at ec.europa.eu

Caroline Winchester
Press and Policy Officer
Email: caroline.winchester at ec.europa.eu
Janet WilliamsonInformation Officer and Co-ordinator,Scottish European Resources NetworkEmail: janet.williamson at ec.europa.eu

Janet Williamson
Information Officer and Co-ordinator,
Scottish European Resources Network
Email: janet.williamson at ec.europa.eu

Need more information on the EU and Scotland? Here's where to look.

www.europe.org.uk

The website of the European Information Network in Scotland (SERN) offers a wealth of information on the EU in Scotland via our partnership network of public information providers.

Just click on Scotland and you're on your way!

This is where you will find information on EU institutions in Scotland, EU information in Scotland, sources of EU funding, links to Scottish government and an A-Z of EU websites. You can also obtain information on the 2004 European Parliament elections, how to obtain your own free copy of the draft European constitution, news of events in Scotland and in the rest of Europe and much, much more.
Last update: 15/12/2011  |Top