David Martin, former Labour Member of the European Parliament becomes President of the European Movement in Scotland
David Martin, who was the longest serving British Member of the European Parliament until Brexit, has become President of the European Movement in Scotland (EMiS). Mr Martin, who was also the youngest MEP to lead the Labour group in Europe, became EMiS President at the start of 2024.
Mr Martin said: “The European Movement in Scotland has kept the light on for Scotland’s place in Europe.
“It brings great energy, knowledge and enthusiasm to its campaigning. I am proud to succeed to the presidency of such a dynamic organisation.”
EMiS Chair, David Clarke, said: ““We are delighted that David Martin has become our President. He is a great European and a great Scot.
“He has the deepest understanding of the politics of Scotland, the UK and the EU. He also brings a passion for peace, prosperity and democracy, values that are at the core of the European ideal. We are proud to have secured the commitment of such a distinguished political leader.”
David Martin is a former Scottish European Parliamentarian of the Year and a former European Parliament Trade MEP of the Year. During his time as an MEP, he led on trade and development, human rights, constitutional affairs and democracy. He authored over one hundred reports for the Parliament and served for 15 years as its Vice-President, leading reforms of its working methods.
David Martin was a Member of the First Minister of Scotland’s Standing Council on Europe. He was a visiting Professor at the University of Glasgow (2019-2022) and Senior Fellow at RSIS in Singapore, one of Asia’s leading centres of International Studies. He was educated at Heriot Watt University and the University of Leicester. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Law from the University of the Punjab, in recognition of his work to strengthen relations between the EU and Pakistan.
David Martin becomes EMiS President in succession to the SNP’s Michael Russell, who has taken up a public appointment.
More EU citizens will be supported to remain in Scotland, thanks to renewed funding for the Stay in Scotland campaign.
In partnership with the Citizens’ Rights Project, COSLA and Settled – an independent charity helping EU citizens to stay in the UK – over £200,000 will help vulnerable people apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS).
Migration Minister Emma Roddick said: “On Europe Day, Scotland can proudly celebrate the contribution EU citizens make to our society, culture and economy.
“As we continue to build the case for an independent Scotland within the EU, additional funding for the Stay in Scotland campaign will help ensure EU citizens, particularly those who need assistance with complex applications, get the support they need to gain settled status.
“We’re also urging the Home Office to immediately upgrade everyone from pre-settled to settled status. This would help remove the unnecessary stress and anxiety of being forced to re-apply to the EUSS.”
“Scotland is stronger for its multi-culturalism and our message to EU citizens this Europe Day is clear: you are, and always will be, welcome in Scotland.”
Following the Ministerial Statement on Europe Day 2023 in the Scottish Parliament , Foysol Choudhury MSP said: “As Scottish Labour Spokesperson for Culture, Europe, and International Development, it was important for me to question the Scottish Government on its commitment to introducing a replacement Erasmus + programme on this, Europe Day 2023.
“After Brexit, the SNP Scottish Government seem determined to remain aligned with the EU, yet in terms of education they have made no progress on a Scottish Education Exchange Programme.
“Unlike the Labour Welsh Government, the SNP Scottish Government are letting down young people by not providing an appropriate replacement for the European Erasmus+ scheme.
“The successful Welsh Taith scheme has provided 5,000 exchange opportunities since September 2022.
“When will the Scottish Government stop hiding behind arguments for independence and act now to truly align Scottish priorities with EU practices?
“The Cabinet Secretary’sresponse to my question was inadequate.
“Scottish Labour wants to see the SNP make true on its commitment to young people and not to abandon them.
“Actions speak louder than headlines.
“Now is the time for the Scottish Government to realign Scottish priorities.”
European Movement in Scotland honours Lord Provost of Glasgow
The European Movement in Scotland (EMiS), the nation’s premier pro-EU campaigning body, is delighted to announce the award of honorary membership to the Lord Provost of Glasgow, Jacqueline McLaren.
Accepting the award at a Europe Day celebration in the City Chambers the Lord Provost said: “I am delighted to accept Honorary Membership of the European Movement in Scotland. Glasgow is a city proud to have forged strong bonds, alliances and friendships with our European neighbours. We’re twinned with Marseilles, Nuremberg, Turin and with many more links across Europe through our networks and partnership activity.
Today we mark Europe Day, and all it represents: friendship, unity, tolerance, co-operation and peace. All of which Glasgow endorses and will always hold dear. Whilst no longer part of the European Union, we remain faithful and committed friends to our European neighbours.”
Europe Day, commemorated annually on May 9 since 1950, symbolises the EU’s commitment to peace, solidarity, shared values and working together across borders to achieve common goals.
EMiS actively works towards advancing the principles of European integration, advocating for stronger ties between Scotland and the broader European community. Scotland remains a proud European nation and will one day return to the EU, in its own right or as part of the UK.
Glasgow’s recognition as European City of Sport for 2023 has further emphasised the city’s vibrant sporting culture and passion for physical well-being as well as its ability to bring people together through the power of sports.
David Clarke, Chair of the European Movement in Scotland, said: “We are thrilled to award honorary membership to the Lord Provost of Glasgow, a city that embraces the spirit of Europe. Glasgow’s unwavering commitment to openness, cultural diversity, and its vibrant sporting scene make it an ideal symbol of our shared European values.
“We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the Lord Provost and express our sincere gratitude for Glasgow’s ongoing support and involvement in Europe.”
Humza Yousaf will appoint a senior figure to head up Scottish Government strategy for re-joining the EU and is planning to stage a European summit in Scotland if he is elected SNP leader and First Minister.
In a letter to David Clarke, chair of the European Movement in Scotland, Mr Yousaf says: “If elected as First Minister I would seek to rebuild closer relationships with the EU as a matter of priority, bringing Scotland back to Europe, where we belong. I would envision having someone in place to lead this strategy.”
He adds: ” We want to re-join Europe because we want to re-join the scientific research community as well as build transparent trading standards and regulations that sit within the EU. It is also, vitally, about working on issues of climate change and biodiversity on land and sea at a European level to ensure best practice and shared responsibilities.”
Mr Yousaf tells Scotland’s leading pro-European campaign that the person leading the strategy of re-joining “as a small independent country” would be tasked with rebuilding the infrastructure “to help us transition back into Europe.” He does not rule out making this a cabinet-level role, he adds.
“I am confident we will return to Europe. We must. I must be very clear regarding my unwavering commitment to Europe, however. If elected as First Minister, I would work firmly with the belief that the only way Scotland can return to Europe is as an independent country. I will re-affirm the case to the people of Scotland, then, that our place in Europe is as a small independent country.”
The current health secretary says he intends hosting a European summit in Scotland is he wins the three-cornered contest.
“We would intend to engage in honest dialogue with not only our fellow EU partners the Greens/ European Free Alliance, but other EU groups that are open to democracy and furthering social justice across Europe,” he explains.
He also confirms that the SNP will set up its own permanent office in Brussels as a way of “establishing our presence as a small European nation at the heart of Europe and ensuring Scotland’s case for returning to Europe be heard by our European neighbours.”
David Clarke, chair of the European Movement in Scotland commented: “Europe should be centre stage of any political discussion in this country.
“Brexit has been the disaster we always knew it would be. There is but one way to overcome the chaos and economic deprivation of the last few years and that is to re-join the European Union as soon as possible. We applaud any politician from any party willing to tell this truth and to take steps to put this into action.”
As the ‘continuity candidate’, Yousaf has the backing of a raft of senior SNP politicians in his bid to become party leader and First Minister, but whether he will have the support of rank and file members who are looking for a radical change in direction in the fight for independence is another matter.
SNP members will have the opportunity to have their say when voting opens tomorrow.
Opposition parties have already made up their minds:
The European Movement in Scotland, Scotland’s leading pro-EU organisation, calls on the Scottish Government to give young people a chance and put in place a replacement for Erasmus+, the world’s biggest and most successful student exchange programme.
The Scottish Government’s decision to shelve plans to replace Erasmus+ is depriving young people of life-changing opportunities. We are calling on them to restore the opportunities afforded by Erasmus+ and implement a comprehensive Scottish Exchange Programme that enables young people from all walks of life to live, learn and work overseas.
Following the UK government’s decision to quit Erasmus+ and the EU’s block on Scotland rejoining the scheme on its own, the Scottish Government pledged to develop and implement an equivalent programme alongside their counterparts in Wales.
The Welsh Government have put their £65m scheme in place but the Scottish Government have delayed their own indefinitely.
This delay is damaging for the thousands of young people who wish to enhance their education and training by studying in Europe. Those from disadvantaged backgrounds and/or in FE colleges are feeling the biggest impact with targeted funding taken away since the UK left Erasmus+.
Chair of the European Movement in Scotland Mark Lazarowicz says: “The loss of Erasmus+ is an act of cultural vandalism and we must do everything to restore the huge opportunities it gives to students, apprentices and others.”
Learn more about The European Movement’s Campaign by visiting:
Edinburgh4Europe will mark Europe Day by launching two new EuroWalks in Edinburgh, highlighting connections with our European neighbours.
What will you do on Europe Day this year? The European Movement in Scotland (EMiS) will mark the day by celebrating Scotland’s historic, and contemporary, links with our European neighbours. They have created a series of EuroWalks across Scotland to take in local landmarks with connections to European figures, places or historical events.
Edinburgh4Europe, the local EMiS group, is delighted to welcome Ben Macpherson (MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith) for the official opening of their Leith EuroWalk on Saturday, 7th May, at 11am outside the Custom House in Leith (65-67 Commercial Street).
The EuroWalk highlights a variety of Leith’s links to Europe, including Mary of Guise, Norwegian whalers and trades with the Baltic states.
On Monday, 9th May, a group of EMiS volunteers will lead a guided tour on a EuroWalk around Calton Hill.
The walk will start at 5.30pm from the Paolozzi Statues on Picardy Place:
The walking routes, with photos and information, can be found at this link: link: https://eurowalks.scot/, so these can be followed in person or investigated from your own home.
Looking to the future, the plan is to continue the growth of EuroWalks in collaboration with organisations such as Visit Scotland and to create a network of walks across Scotland, in cities, towns and the countryside, which collectively help us to celebrate our rich European heritage.
EMiS hopes these will achieve the twin aim of educating local residents (including the tens of thousands of European citizens who live in Scotland) and teaching visitors more about the connections between their own countries and Scotland.
EMiS wants this to be a truly collaborative, grassroots venture, drawing on ideas from people and communities across Scotland. Most of all, they hope to demonstrate the rich variety and scope of Scotland’s ties to the European continent. Because Europe is our past, Europe is our present and Europe is our future.
If you want to join in this enjoyable volunteer-led initiative, or have ideas or knowledge about a local European connection to include, please contact the EuroWalks team at walks4europe@gmail.com.
Edinburgh4Europe:
Edinburgh for Europe is a group that came together during the campaign in 2018 for a People’s Vote on the deal secured by the UK government to leave the EU. We are made up of people who are Scottish or EU citizens or both.
We are affiliated to the European Movement in Scotland, a movement which started after World War II and before the economic union began. We work to maintain good relations with citizens of European countries and to mitigate the effects of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union.
The European Movement in Scotland (EMiS) condemns Russia’s indiscriminate war against Ukraine and stands in solidarity with Ukrainian’s in their struggle to defend peace, democracy and freedom – the values that underpin Europe’s history and culture.
We therefore support the application of President Zelensky and his government for Ukraine to become a member of the European Union according to the Copenhagen criteria and welcome the backing given by some EU member states for Ukraine to be granted immediate applicant status.
The EU has throughout this conflict, unprecedented on European territory for almost 80 years, taken the lead in providing humanitarian, economic and military aid to Ukraine and imposing effective sanctions against the Putin regime and its financial backers.
EMiS especially welcomes the EU’s decision to activate the temporary protection directive allowing millions of Ukrainian refugees to enter its member states’ territory visa-free and to live and work within its borders for up to three years.
This stands in stark contrast to the chaotic and deplorable approach of the UK Government towards imposing bureaucratic hurdles on tens of thousands of desperate families fleeing a savage war.
EMiS also welcomes the clear evidence that working together in solidarity with a fellow European nation has enabled the EU-27 to play a key role in the search for an equitable peace in the region, based on the principles of territorial integrity and national sovereignty enshrined in international law.
We believe this further exposes the lies and myths that lay behind Brexit and underpin the grand illusion of Global Britain. It strengthens the case for the UK and Scotland to pursue closer relations with our EU neighbours and partners up to and including early moves to rejoin the European Union.
Scotland’s premier pro-European campaign is urging the UK government to follow the lead of the EU and allow Ukrainian refugees from Russia’s horrendous war to settle here for up to three years without being forced to apply for asylum.
With more than one million Ukrainians forced to flee their country, the EU has said it will offer “temporary protection” for 36 months – a decision hailed by UNHCR as “unprecedented”.
The European Movement in Scotland (EMiS) says today the UK Government must drop its restrictive migration policy and allow thousands of vulnerable Ukrainians fleeing the most savage war in Europe for over 75 years to live and work here.
EMiS also calls upon the five main political parties represented in Holyrood to endorse this stance and put pressure on the UK Government to join forces with the EU-27 in welcoming Ukrainian refugees on the scale required.
Mark Lazarowicz, EMiS vice-chair, said: “This is no time for a self-styled world leading country to impose cruel barriers to Ukrainian refugees seeking protection in our own country as in other European nations. We urge Home Secretary Priti Patel to change course and show generous compassion.”
Scotland’s leading pro-European campaigning body, the European Movement in Scotland (EMiS), has underlined its cross-party credentials by choosing a former SNP cabinet secretary and a former Conservative MEP as its new honorary presidents.
Mike Russell, MSP until May this year and former Scottish Government cabinet secretary for Constitution, Europe and External Affairs, and John Purvis, a Tory MEP for 15 years, jointly take over the post bequeathed to them by (Lord) Ming Campbell, the LibDem peer.
They were unanimously confirmed in their new posts at the EMiS annual general meeting in Edinburgh which reaffirmed its commitment to Scotland rejoining the European Union as soon as possible – whether in its own right as an independent state or as part of the UK. As a non-party/cross-party body EMiS is neutral on Scottish independence.
Separately, EMiS is to launch a campaign for Scotland and/or the UK to rejoin the single market and customs union as the devastating economic and social effects of Brexit are revealed daily.
Philippa Whitford MP, SNP Commons spokesman on Europe (and health);
David Broucher, a former UK diplomat/ambassador in, among other places, Bonn and Prague;
Peter Sellar, an EU lawyer specialising in regulatory affairs and author of a paper on this topic for the Scottish Independence Convention.
David Clarke, Vice-Chair of EMiS commented: “Our choice of new Honorary Presidents underlines the cross-party consensus in Scotland for rejoining the European Union, with membership of the single market and customs union a first stage.
“John Purvis is a long-standing Conservative with deep roots in the EU and European financial services, while Mike Russell’s commitment to Europe as an SNP politician, minister and thinker is unmatched. Our campaign to rejoin the EU steps up a gear with our latest webinar on 8th December and throughout 2022.”
The UK Government should amend its immigration policy to reflect Scotland’s demographic deficit and restore freedom of movement to Scottish residents, according to Scotland’s leading pro-European body.
It is also pressing the UK Government to rejoin the Erasmus+ youth exchange programme – or enable Scotland and Wales to take part on their own.
These are among 15 key policies the European Movement in Scotland (EMIS) is urging political parties and candidates to adopt as policy in the #Holyrood2021 campaign
EMIS objective is for Scotland to become part of the European Union as once again, whether as an independent state or as part of the UK, but it also believes that it is important that Scotland should have the closest possible links with the EU meantime.
Among other policy issues highlighted by EMiS are better access to EU markets for Scotland’s food and fish, more direct links between Scotland and mainland Europe, a full say in managing the UK Prosperity Fund and close alignment with the EU on environmental standards, emission targets, human rights law and data privacy.
EMiS chair, Mark Lazarowicz, said: “The UK has left the EU, but our relationship with Europe clearly matters greatly to the voters of Scotland. This relationship will have longstanding impacts on the country’s economy and culture.
“We urge prospective members of the Scottish Parliament and their political parties to work to reinforce Scotland’s European interests and prioritise the issues we identify as important for the future prosperity and wellbeing of Scotland and its people.”
Scotland’s leading pro-EU organisation, the European Movement in Scotland, has urged the Scottish Government to follow the Wales Government and establish its own version of the Erasmus education exchange programme.
Its replacement, the Turing Scheme, includes a fraction of the benefits provided to students under Erasmus+.
Free tuition and travel expenses have been scrapped, except for the most disadvantaged students and the cost-of-living allowance has been slashed by a fifth. In addition the Turing Scheme does not extend to apprentices and trainees.
The Turing scheme does not extend to staff exchanges. Funding will also not be reciprocal, meaning that international partner institutions will not be supported for any exchanges coming to the UK.
Around 2000 Scottish students and staff used Erasmus+ each year and now many will be denied the chance to study and travel in 27 other EU countries as the new scheme puts financial barriers in front of them.
In contrast, the Welsh Government said its scheme would “support, as far as possible, the entire range of activities that have been available to learners in Wales” under Erasmus+.
The new programme will fill in many of the gaps Turing leaves, including, crucially, the commitment to long-term funding, the retention of the principle of two-way exchanges and the inclusion of youth work.
Scotland attracts proportionally more Erasmus participants from across Europe – and sends more in the other direction – than any other country in the UK. Through associated youth work projects, the scheme is estimated to deliver at least £7 in value for every £1 it costs in public cash, and its value to the economy has been estimated to be worth nearly £34 million annually since 2014.
The Scottish Government had lobbied the EU for continued membership but its hopes were quashed last month by Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, who told MEPs that, as a “constituent nation” of the UK, Scotland could not rejoin. Students studying at institutions in Northern Ireland can take part in Erasmus thanks to an arrangement with the Irish government.
Mark Lazarowicz, Chair of the European Movement in Scotland commented: “The loss of Erasmus is an act of cultural vandalism and we would urge the Scottish Government to follow Wales and fill the immense gaps presented by the Turing scheme.
“Erasmus brings different countries and nationalities together and generates such massive cultural and educational benefits, its loss is a huge blow. It allowed many thousands of young people, no matter their background, to continue to improve their futures, their access to global opportunities, and their development as citizens of a connected world.
“Over 2000 Scottish students, staff and learners used the scheme each year. Indeed, Scotland attracts proportionally more Erasmus participants from across Europe – and sends more in the other direction – than any other country in the UK.
“A unilateral replacement, such as the proposed Turing scheme, will never be able to replicate the wealth of opportunities for all young people, or raise the same reciprocal benefits of the Erasmus Programme.”
