Holyrood committee orders research to track EU law changes

A Holyrood committee has commissioned research to track changes in EU law.

The Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee has asked Lisa Claire Whitten of Queen’s University Belfast to carry out the work – which will report twice a year.

Following Brexit, the Scottish Government committed to “keep pace” with EU laws in devolved areas to reduce regulatory issues and allow for easier accession should Scotland ever become independent and seek membership of the bloc.

Clare Adamson, the committee’s convener, said the research will help the committee scrutinise the Government’s attempts to maintain regulatory alignment as much as possible and allow businesses to “maintain awareness” of changes to EU laws.

“The UK, including Scotland, is no longer legally required to comply with EU law,” she said.

“But for many businesses in Scotland, being aware of EU legislation is crucial to meet the regulatory requirements of this significant export market.

“The Scottish Government made a commitment to keep pace with EU law, and report regularly on this.

“But it is our job to scrutinise the extent to which this is happening. The research announced today will aid this scrutiny and help us as we examine the instances where the Scottish Government is, and indeed is not, keeping pace.”

Dr Whitten described the opportunity to carry out the research as “an honour”.

She added: “Since the end of the UK transition period in January 2021, I’ve been involved in a project that tracks changes in EU law that apply in Northern Ireland under the protocol/Windsor Framework.

“Doing so has yielded important insights into the evolving nature of, respectively, the EU and the UK legislative landscapes after Brexit.

“I am therefore delighted to be able to build on this work as I take forward the EU law tracker research on behalf of the Scottish Parliament.

“It is my intention, through this research, to help provide clarity and support scrutiny of the Scottish Government policy to alignment with EU law after Brexit.”