11.01.2012
The Danish Ambassador to the UK, Ms Anne Hedensted Steffensen, today visited Holyrood. As part of her visit, she met with the Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick MSP.
Ms Steffensen expressed how pleased she was to have been given the opportunity to present the programme of the Danish EU Presidency in Edinburgh. She said that the return of growth and higher employment to all regions of Europe was a key priority of the Presidency:
“Growth in Europe requires the further development of the European Single Market in a way that benefits both citizens and companies. It also requires that we strengthen education, research and innovation. The goal of the Danish Presidency is to contribute constructively to developing the Single Market through a number of new initiatives to create jobs across Europe.”
Ms Steffensen also met with members of the European and External Relations Committee. Committee Convener Christina McKelvie MSP said:
‘It was a pleasure to welcome the Danish Ambassador to the Scottish Parliament. Denmark takes over the Presidency of the European Council at a critical time. The future of the Eurozone, the scope and scale of the next EU budget as well and the detail of the next Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy will be debated and may even be resolved.
‘It is important that we use every means possible to ensure that Scotland’s voice is heard in Brussels. The opportunity for our Committee to meet with Ms Steffensen, and to discuss these and other issues is therefore both valuable and timely. In particular, we were interested in her views on Horizon 20/20 and its potential role in contributing to/ supporting innovation in Scotland as we prepare for our inquiry on this.’
In the evening, the Convener and the Ambassador hosted a joint reception in the Parliament’s Garden Lobby. This included music from one of the finest Danish string quartets on the international music circuit, The Danish String Quartet, who performed a piece by Denmark's foremost composer, Carl Nielsen.
Find out more about the Danish EU Presidency (external website)