SUB ROSA CONCEPT
Sub Rosa (latin) "Under the Rose" - in confidence - from the practice in diplomacy during the Middle Ages of hanging a rose over a meeting as a sign of confidentiality and freedom to speak candidly.
'Sub Rosa' is a high level, European policy discussion forum sponsored by an informal partnership between the Scottish Government and the two government Development Agencies for Scotland - Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
The exercise is intended as a Scotland-led contribution to the EU policy formulation process. It is not part of any lobbying strategy. The aim is to provide a facility where senior European Commission officials might have an opportunity - in an "off-the-record" setting - to exchange views with, and receive ideas from, key players selected from a wide range of Member States and regions. The forum is for officials rather than politicians. The proceedings follow Chatham House rules i.e. non-attributable contributions to make everyone comfortable to speak openly and freely.
Sub Rosa 2 April 2008 - Territorial Cohesion
A strategic discussion on territorial cohesion took place in Brussels on Wednesday in the 'sub rosa' format. The discussion was focused around key issues and opportunities for Irish, Scottish, Nordic and similar territories. A wide range of Government officials and key stakeholders from the Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Norway, Scotland and Sweden participated, as well as representatives from the European Commission, the European Parliament and European think tanks. The discussion paper for the meeting, which was commissioned jointly by sub rosa partners and the Norwegian Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development in Oslo, will be revised and updated to reflect the discussion and identify policy options.
Sub Rosa 29 February/1 March 2008 - The Future of EU Regional and Rural Policies
A strategic discussion on the future of EU regional and rural policies took place in Brussels on 29 February/1 March in the 'sub rosa' format. Dirk Ahner, Director General of the Commission's DG for Regional Policy, John Benstead Smith, Director at DG Agriculture, and a wide range of other Commission participants joined Richard Wakeford, Director General of the Scottish Government's DG Environment, Scottish stakeholders and experts and officials from across the EU for a stimulating discussion of how the EU's cohesion and rural development policies could be better aligned. John Bachtler of Strathclyde University will be revising the paper he and his European Policy Research Centre team produced for the meeting to reflect the discussion and identify policy options.