Culture Secretary Angus Robertson will announce a new paper today which states that an independent Scotland could unlock the potential of the country’s culture and creative sectors on the international stage.
The tenth paper in the Building a New Scotland series – Culture in an independent Scotland – will shine the spotlight on how an independent Scotland could achieve greater prosperity with its creative economy and benefit from regaining freedom of movement as part of the EU.
The paper sets out the benefits an independent Scotland could bring to the country’s culture sector and creative industries, including rejoining the EU as an independent member state.
This would allow artists to move freely without barriers like visas and customs requirements, help Scotland’s culture sector and creative industries reach the people, talent and skills they need, and make it more straightforward for Scottish artists to tour, collaborate and exchange ideas internationally.
Mr Robertson said: “Culture is one of Scotland’s priceless assets and we are determined to protect and enhance it, putting it at the heart of our communities for the benefit of everyone. These strong foundations could help us become a successful, inclusive, vibrant independent nation.
“Our ambition is to rejoin the EU as a member state in our own right as soon as possible. This would mean regaining the immense benefits of free movement of people and the networks that support the exchange of ideas upon which culture thrives.
“It is more important than ever that Scotland has the powers necessary to support and develop our cultural and creative sectors: to ensure that creative professionals can work and collaborate with their peers around the world and ensure that everyone in Scotland can fully benefit from our rich and diverse culture.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
