Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Culture
Culture Counts recently wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, Angus Robertson MSP, to share outcomes from a recent meeting of our members. Our letter covered cultural exports and diplomacy.
We gratefully received a reply on 21 December 2021 which can be read in full below. To reduce energy consumption, please only download the PDF if you have to.
Dear Jennifer Hunter,
Thank you for your letter of 9 November regarding support for cultural exchange and cultural exports in Scotland.
I agree that there is a great deal of potential to further support cultural exchange and cultural exports in Scotland. On 7 July I met with members of the Scottish Commercial Music Industry Taskforce, including the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA), and discussed the potential for the development of a Scottish Music Export Office. The research carried out by SMIA to this end is of great value in informing the possible actions that could be taken to support cultural exports and exchange, and I look forward to engaging further with the sector in the coming months to consider how best these could be taken forward. I would like to thank you for the examples that you have provided from France, Ireland and Norway - they further demonstrate the potential that there is in this area and will be valuable in informing the Scottish Government's thinking as we develop initiatives in this area.
I also agree that further work is needed to support wider exports from our culture and creative sectors, and to develop networks to support this, particularly in the context of the UK's exit from the EU. The Scottish Government is currently expanding our own international network with new Scottish Government hubs due to be opened in Copenhagen and Warsaw. I also recognise how vital the international mobility of cultural professionals is in facilitating trade in services. We have provided funding to Arts InfoPoint UK, which is providing advice and support to creative professionals working internationally. Moreover, Arts InfoPoint UK is developing links with other InfoPoints around Europe and is linked to On the Move, a network spanning 24 countries that promotes cultural mobility. Initiatives such as this will continue to have a key role in supporting our culture and creative sectors to export, and to build and maintain the networks and cultural exchange that underpin this. We are, however, taking forward further work to ensure that there is a strategic and joined-up approach to supporting cultural exports.
In order to ensure that we are developing and supporting the most effective networks and partnerships to support cultural exports, we will continue to engage with trade bodies within the culture and creative sectors and beyond. I have asked my officials to follow up with you on your suggestion to strengthen links with Global Scots and Scotland Food and Drink to explore how best such links could be developed.
A key commitment in our recent Programme for Government is to publish our vision for trade, which will set out our principles and values for the trading relationships we want Scotland to have in the future. This vision will underpin how we take forward implementation of our three cornerstone international economy plans and crucially will be used to influence the approach the UK Government takes in developing trade agreements with other countries and blocs. It will reflect the Scottish Government's aims of fair work, inclusive growth, supporting the wellbeing of people and communities and making the transition to net zero. This will further help to shape our wider approach to supporting cultural exports.
As you are aware, we have also committed to develop a Cultural Diplomacy Strategy. This will play a key role in maintaining our vital international relationships in the context of the UK’s exit from the EU. It has the potential to develop and maintain relationships with key partners in Europe and beyond, and to support our cultural and creative sectors to work and collaborate internationally, fostering the cross-border cultural partnerships and networks that are vital to the sector’s operation.
I very much welcome your offer for Culture Counts to support the development of the Cultural Diplomacy Strategy. I greatly value the work and expertise of your organisation and so your input in this area would be a great asset. As you will be aware, the development of the Cultural Diplomacy Strategy is at an early stage, and so at this point I would propose that my officials contact you to discuss timeframes for consultation with the sector and a possible joint event.
You also mention the importance of cultural exchange, and the fact that the UK is, regrettably, no longer a partner in the Creative Europe Programme. While the Scottish Government repeatedly called on the UK Government to seek continued participation in the programme, it did not do so. I am conscious that the lack of any alternative to the elements of Creative Europe that support cultural exchange and collaboration risk having a negative impact on the ability of the sector to work and build relationships internationally, and so we are currently considering what measures could be put in place that might mitigate this. Again, your input here would be most valuable, and so I have asked my officials to engage with you on this at an early opportunity.
I would like to thank you again for your information and ideas in this important area. My officials will be in contact in due course to follow up with you on the information that you have provided regarding support for cultural exports and exchange, and to engage with you as these initiatives are developed. I hope that we are able to meet to discuss how the Scottish Government and Culture Counts can further work together to develop initiatives in this area once this work has progressed.
Yours sincerely,
Angus Robertson
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