This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Scotland shares PPP success with Czech Republic
14/11/2005
The key players behind Scottish PPP projects are in the Czech Republic today to share best practice and declare Scotland open for business.
Major infrastructure improvements are being driven forward in Scotland through the use of Public Private Partnerships. Scotland led the way at a seminar in Prague organised by the PPP Centrum and attended by many Czech mayors and regional politicians.
Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform Tom McCabe was the keynote speaker at the event. He was joined by COSLA President Pat Watters and experienced PPP practitioners from the public and private sectors in Scotland.
Mr McCabe confirmed that the Scottish Executive Financial Partnerships Unit has been chosen to work with the Czech Republic on a PPP twinning arrangement. He said:
"We are determined to continue building closer links with all the new EU member states - and there is no doubt the Czech Republic is particularly important to Scotland. This major seminar continues that process and follows my visit to Prague last November for the PPP Global Summit and meetings with Czech government Ministers.
"I want to thank Dr Kral and colleagues for inviting us today. It is fitting that this summit has such strong representation from Scottish public and private sector interests. I believe we have a good story to tell on how PPP projects have helped to transform infrastructure and public services in communities across Scotland.
"As part of a twinning arrangement supported by the EU and World Bank, the Executive's Financial Partnerships Unit, along with the Dutch government and Partnerships UK, will be working with the Czech Republic over coming months to develop PPP here.
"We were delighted to share our experience, and to learn how the Czechs develop PPP. There are many experienced PPP practitioners in public and private sectors in Scotland, and I hope that their knowledge and commercial services can offer advice and help on how PPP can improve infrastructure in the Czech Republic."
This PPP seminar has been arranged following the Minister's previous visit to Prague for the PPP Global Summit last November. He met with various Government Ministers (Prime Minister Paroubek, Deputy Minister of Regional Development Dr Kral) and offered to set out our experience of PPP in a separate event. The day itself is made up of practical sessions on PPP experience from different perspectives: local authorities as clients, construction industry, financial industry, and at the national level from Financial Partnerships Unit. Further sessions will provide information on what is currently happening in the Czech Republic on PPP.
The event has been organised by the PPP Centrum (the Czech Government body equivalent to Partnerships UK) jointly with the British Embassy, the Czech Ministry of Finance and the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade. The audience is Czech mayors and regional politicians. McCabe will be the keynote speaker at the conference. Other speakers include Pat Watters, President of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities; Sandy Rosie, Director of the Scottish Executive's Financial Partnerships Unit; Alan Fordyce, Managing Director of Robertson Capital Projects; and Paul Brewer, Partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers.