A LEADING think tank specialising in Scotland’s relations with Europe is to close after four years.

Dr Kirsty Hughes, founder and director of the Scottish Centre on European Relations in Edinburgh, made the announcement on social media yesterday morning.

She wrote on Twitter: “Sorry to announce the Scottish Centre on European Relations, Scotland first independent European affairs think tank, is ending its activities. Huge thanks to all those very many people who engaged, contributed to and supported our work since 2017.”

She added: “We will be archiving our publications so they remain available in the future for the vital European debates that will continue. More information on this will be posted later on the @SCER_eu twitter feed.”

In a statement released on the SCER website, Hughes added: “We have ranged widely across different pressing European and international issues: the Brexit debates and the UK leaving the EU – Scotland too despite its remain vote; European challenges for Scottish independence and how, why and whether an independent Scotland could join the EU; the future of the European Union itself – democratic challenges, climate change, foreign policy, development and more.

“Sadly, SCER is now bringing its activities to a close. Without sustained funding, we could not take its activities to the next level we aimed for.

“Huge thanks to those very many people who contributed to, engaged with and supported our activities and enabled SCER to become a high profile, influential European affairs think tank over the last four years.”

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Supporters expressed their dismay at the news.

Steve Bullock wrote: “Very sorry indeed to hear this Kirsty. The quality and clarity of the work you and it have done has been phenomenal. The issue of Scotland’s relationship with the EU is likely to be a central one in the coming years, and that clarity and understanding will be missed.”

The European Movement in Scotland tweeted: “A huge loss we hope will be temporary: Scotland needs Europe, think tanks and ideas/policies about where it goes inside the EU (in due course).”

Professor Fergal Cochrane, of Emeritus Professor and Senior Research Fellow, Conflict Analysis Research Centre, University of Kent, added: “Very sorry to hear this Kirsty – though the timing is hard to fathom as Scotland/Europe relations have never been more important and set to become more so? Thanks to you and everyone involved for all the great work produced. We have all learned from it.”

Hughes replied: “Thanks Feargal – I agree, it couldn’t be a more important time to focus on Scotland-European relations but we had little choice.”

Over the years the SCER carried out considerable work on whether Scotland could readily regain access to the European Union after independence and the process for achieving this outcome. It also produced a wide range of papers on the future of the European Union itself.

Hughes also interviewed high profile European figures for her regular podcast with many of the news angles being picked up for articles in The National and other publications.

Her interviewees include Michael Mann, the EU’s envoy to the Arctic, who signalled that an independent Scotland could benefit from speedier membership process than other countries which had joined in recent years.