On Wednesday 19 November, EPRC hosted a seminar by Serafin Pazos-Vidal, head of the Brussels Office of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).
The aim of the seminar was to provide an overview of the ability of subnational governments, with a focus on the Scottish Government and Scottish local government, to engage with EU institutional decision-making and implementation processes.
Through reference to key theoretical concepts such as multi-level governance, subsidiarity, policy communities, and issue networks, the speaker examined the evolution of EU policy frameworks from their pre-Lisbon Treaty setting to the current situation. Of particular relevance was the subject of change in the balance of regional-macroscale competences as a result of demands from the UK and other Member States, and the formalisation of regional representation in Europe.