The creation of Scotland's Parliament has helped put Scotland on the international map once more. There is enormous goodwill internationally towards Scotland and there is increased interest in all things Scottish. One of the main aims of the devolved government to harness that interest and goodwill for the benefit of all Scots.
Since devolution we have worked with a number of nations and regions across the world in many policy areas including business and enterprise, education, culture and transport. We have also taken part in major events not only in Europe but in other parts of the world.
As devolution matures, the scope to enhance the scale and range of these activities increases and that is why, during this second Parliament, we have the deliberate aim of drawing our international work together within an overall framework to ensure whenever we engage with an international partner, we are doing our best for the whole of Scotland.
On January 20, 2004 we published the Executive's European Strategy setting out our strategic goals for our engagement in Europe, along with our priorities and the mechanisms we propose to use to achieve them.
We announced on July 1, 2004 details of a global campaign to promote Scotland. This systematically targets people and places with messages about modern Scotland. The increased activity of Scotland's devolved government on the international stage must be underpinned by a strategic overview. On October 7, 2004 we published our International Strategy which describes areas of work that are new, or in which we have taken new initiatives Through the International Strategy, our ambition is to maximise the benefits to the people of Scotland from our international work.
Ministers are determined to ensure that Scotland rises to the challenge of a global economy, and the potential across the world for closer friendships and new partnerships.
To be fully effective Ministers have to travel abroad to fulfil the function of promoting and advocating Scotland and its interests and views, whether in Europe or the wider world.
When Ministers travel overseas they not only add value to our international work but they promote Scotland's relations and interests in many sectors:
- they help Scottish businesses establish and develop international links
- they promote Scotland as an investment location; they foster policy exchanges and transport links
- they represent Scotland as a country playing its part in the international community
- they help to attract people to come to Scotland to live, work, study, do business and to visit
The following tables provide information on the costs of Executive Ministers' travel abroad by financial year, from July 1, 1999.