THE Scottish Government’s new European hub in Copenhagen will officially open later this month, it has been announced.
Speaking ahead of the launch, office head Katrine Feldinger said the Nordics were a priority for ministers because of the “deep historical and cultural links” with Scotland and the opportunity to work more closely together was “exciting”.
The new base is part of plans to strengthen ties with Europe post-Brexit and adds to the Scottish Government’s four existing offices in the EU, in Brussels, Paris, Dublin and Berlin.
In a video posted on Twitter, Feldinger said: “Denmark and the Nordics generally, are a priority country for the Scottish Government because we’ve got such deep historical and cultural links with this part of the world.
“There’s a series here of five small countries with really similar sized economies; really similar sized populations and similar experiences, quite frankly both in terms of being European but also in terms of the heritage, the types of economy and the industry that we both have now and are looking to create in the future.”
She added: “The opportunity to bring some of those a little bit closer together is super exciting.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Scotland’s international network attracts investment and creates domestic opportunities and benefits for the people of Scotland.
"The Scottish Government continue to work with its friends and partners in Europe and beyond to reaffirm diplomatic ties, improve its global networks and unlock new economic and trading opportunities.
“The Scottish Government Office in Copenhagen became operational in May 2022 and will launch officially later this month.
"It will increase Scotland's economic and cultural visibility in the Nordic region.”
Denmark was one of the countries which features in the first “scene setter” paper outlining the Scottish Government’s vision for an independent Scotland, which was published in June.
It drew comparison to 10 other similar-sized countries in Europe - Ireland, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Iceland, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, and Finland - and used them as examples of smaller nations that the paper claimed to be wealthier than the UK.
