Europe & International Affairs

The SNP has made clear our opposition to the actions of the Spanish Government in relation to Catalonia following the referendum in October 2017. When University of St Andrews Professor Clara Ponsati, was faced with possible extradition, we supported and protected her right to challenge this request. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has repeatedly said she…

The Scottish Government is introducing the Scottish EU Continuity Bill to ensure devolution is protected and laws in Scotland will work properly after Brexit.

The SNP believes the UK government must confirm the rights of EU nationals to remain as a matter of urgency. We expect the rights of UK nationals living in the EU to be guaranteed in the same way. The SNP believes that the United Kingdom should remain in the EU Single Market and continue to…

Euratom was founded in 1957 to foster cooperation in the development of nuclear energy and ensures high standards of protection for workers and the public from nuclear power, decommissioning, spent fuel and radioactive substances. The SNP is concerned by the UK government’s intention to leave Euratom, and the lack of consultation with the Scottish Government….

All 27 members of the European Union and the UK are – by definition – independent countries. Nine of them have smaller populations than Scotland. The SNP believe in independence for Scotland, but also in independent countries working together for good of all to protect workers, tackle climate change, preserve peace and guarantee our freedom…

We will put human rights and the rights of women at the heart of our international relations work. We’re proud that the UN asked Scotland to lead on a women’s peace-making initiative for Syria. Every year we will fund training and capacity building for at least fifty women from affected countries, ensuring they have the…

We place great importance on Scotland being a good global citizen. This means playing our part in tackling global challenges including poverty, injustice and inequality. It is clear that COVID-19 will remain a threat for some time to come, and we must therefore step up our global contribution. We will increase the International Development Fund…

The SNP does not oppose trade agreements on principle, as they can be good for our economy. However we strongly oppose the inclusion of public services and have serious concerns about giving corporations the right to sue governments through the investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms (ISDS), and we will oppose any agreement that has these terms included in it.

The SNP believe that the UK should not repeat the mistakes of the past, and engage in military action without a comprehensive and credible plan to win the peace. For this reason, all SNP MPs voted against air strikes on Syria.

The SNP believes that membership of Europe Union is in Scotland’s best interests. There are a huge number of benefits for Scotland from EU membership including that the EU is the main destination for Scotland’s international exports and as citizens of the EU we are able to travel freely throughout Europe – for work, study or travel – without the need for visas.

Scotland stands ready to help to offer sanctuary to refugees who need our help. This is first and foremost a humanitarian crisis and it requires a humanitarian response. The SNP Scottish Government has repeatedly called on the UK Government to play a part in a co-ordinated European response and has agreed to take a fair…