The EU is about far more than just money, but Scotland did well out of EU funding! The EU also gave devolved administrations such as the Scottish Government access to substantial amounts of capital funding in their own right. For example, the EU provided almost €1 billion (£790 million) in structural funds to Scotland fromm 2014-2020.[1]
The majority of EU funding supported:
- Offshore wind capacity
- Transport infrastructure investment
- Wave and tidal energy production
- Agriculture
- Marine bio-sciences
The co-ordination of such investment with our partners in Europe not only helped to increase efficiency across the continent but also gave more flexibility opportunities for Scotland’s government, universities and companies. In a period during which the UK government is so unrepresentative of what the people of Scotland voted for, this was a huge bonus.
Examples of this include funding the recently completed ISLES project. This was funded through European Territorial Cooperation (INTERREG) and will help to develop an offshore electricity network between Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.[2]
[1] ‘EU to invest over 1 billion euro in Scotland for research, innovation and a resource-efficient economy’, European Commission Statement, 11 December 2014. This story was also covered in the Scottish national press: ‘Scotland to benefit from £775m Euro funding over next six years’, The Herald, 19 December 2014.
[2] ‘Balance of Competences Review, the Scottish Government’s Response’ The Scottish Government.