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Scotland plays an important role in fostering closer EU–UK cooperation

EU Ambassador Pedro Serrano visited Edinburgh with six Member States Ambassadors on 29-30 June 2026. Discussions focussed on youth mobility, trade, energy and security, highlighting Scotland’s key role in the EU-UK partnership.

EU ambassadors visit Scotland
© EU

EU Ambassador Pedro Serrano, together with Tihomir Stoytchev, Ambassador of Bulgaria, Stephen Montefort, High Commissioner of Malta, Laura Popescu, Ambassador of Romania, Sven Sakkov, Ambassador of Estonia, Václav Bartuška, Ambassador of Czechia, and Ms Asta Radikaitė, Ambassador of Lithuania, visited Edinburgh for a series of high-level exchanges focused on the future of EU–UK relations.

The Ambassadors were warmly received by Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, for discussions on deepening cooperation in the context of the upcoming EU–UK Summit. The meeting highlighted the shared commitment to strengthening dialogue and advancing practical collaboration across key policy areas.

EU Ambassadors meet Scottish First Minister

EU

 During their visit, the Ambassadors also met with the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, Kenneth Gibson MSP. They had productive discussions with representatives from the University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh College, where attention focused on concrete opportunities for cooperation. These include the Erasmus+ programme, a future Youth Experience Scheme, and enhanced collaboration in trade, energy, security and defence. The Ambassadors also held exchanged with civil society representatives. 

 

EU Ambassador meet the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament

EU

The UK’s association to Horizon Europe two years ago is already brining concrete opportunities for research organisations, universities and other partners based in Scotland. Since 2024 they have benefitted from €178 million. One recent such example is a clean energy project led by Aberdeen City Council, which promises to help accelerate the North-East Scotland’s energy transition by establishing the UK’s first Hydrogen Valley. It is benefitting from €9 million over the next five years and includes entities from across Scotland, London and the EU. The aim of the project is to stimulate hydrogen uptake across focused sectors including mobility, agriculture, food and drink, and construction. Another one - led by a Dutch organisation but with several UK partners, among them the University of Dundee - works on new therapies for bacterial infections, targeting chronic and drug-resistant strains. It aims to validate such new treatments and to advance one long-acting therapeutic to preclinical status. This cooperation will ultimately strengthen the entire European health innovation ecosystem.

 

As EU–UK agreements continue to advance in areas such as agri-food, emissions trading and electricity, their positive impact on citizens and businesses on both sides is becoming increasingly evident.

 

Scotland plays an important role in fostering closer EU–UK cooperation. This ambassadorial visit underlined the mutual interest in building a strong and forward-looking partnership.