NORDIC – SCOTTISH PARTNERSHIP
INFORMAL MEETING: 17 DECEMBER 2004
COPENHAGEN
Present:
Harry Ekestam
Arve Skjerpen
Jim Millard
Frank Gaskell
This is a brief note of an informal discussion convened after the formal meeting had been cancelled due to the Chair, Baldur Petersen's, unavoidable absence.
Background
It was reported that a new Nordic (NÄRP) co-operation programme for 2005-2008 had been agreed and while this did not mention the Scottish Nordic Partnership specifically it contemplated a widening of interest within the concept of Norden +.
The prospect of the tentative Scottish Nordic Baltic strategy rehearsed at the Sub Rosa meeting in Brussels could probably be accommodated within this policy. In particular it was noted that the Chair of NARP would be Denmark for 2005 who might be expected to have an interest in west Nordic co-operation and NORA in particular. The chairmanship will pass to Norway in 2006 (who replace Finland on account of their supervening presidency of the European Union). Norway could be expected to be a positive driver of our concept. It was also recalled that John Bachtler and Hallgeir Aalbu had suggested the need for a Secretariat to be appointed to co-ordinate any future responsible manifestation of the Scottish Nordic partnership. While clearly there was an option of engaging John and Hallgeir for this purpose the possibility of augmenting the Northern Periphery Programme Secretariat to incorporate this role might be considered.
Discussion
It was agreed that there were 2 issues to address, firstly the securing of a continuation Northern Periphery Programme after 2006 and its potential enlargement to include Western Ireland (and southern Norway?) and the broader more policy and less operational aspiration to enlarge the partnership itself to include Ireland and Baltic States.
It was agreed that both of these issues needed to be progressed as a matter of urgency and that a meeting should be convened as soon as possible at end of January/beginning February (in Copenhagen) to which, in addition to the principal Scottish Nordic actors, Baltic and Irish representatives might be invited. This might take the form of a rehearsal of the Sub Rosa Nordic/Scottish/Baltic concept together with VEN diagram elaboration etc as promised at the conclusion of the Sub Rosa meeting. This to be followed by an exchange of views on the loose policy co-ordination nature of the proposal with the Irish and Baltic States representatives, perhaps exploring the informal Sub Rosa proposals regarding presumptions for the use of the 10% etc discretions for the extra territorial programme expenditure.
Action
Jim Millard agreed, in liaison with Frank Gaskell, to contact and meet our appropriate Irish counterparts (Messrs Brace, Finn, Fleming) and if possible have a meeting with these officials in time to recruit them for the end January/beginning February meeting referred to above. Similarly, Harry volunteered to approach his Baltic contacts for the same purpose augmenting these with the names of the Baltic attenders at Sub Rosa which Jim Millard undertook to provide and with other key Baltic contacts that Arve Skjerpen undertook to provide.
THIS NOTE IS OFFERED SIMPLY AS AN AIDE MEMOIRE AND A BASIS FOR UP-DATING COLLEAGUES