Trade: our vision

Ministerial Forward

In our Programme for Government for this year, we committed to developing and publishing a Trade Vision for Scotland and I am delighted to introduce that Vision to you here. At its heart, Scotland's Vision for Trade sets out the principles and values for the trading relationships we want our country to have, now and in the future.

We want Scotland to be a successful trading nation but we also want to be known as much for how we trade as what we trade.

This Vision is all the more timely because it is being published during an unprecedented period of disruption and uncertainty. Scotland's economy is currently experiencing significant shocks from Brexit and COVID but the Trade Vision is designed not simply as a reaction to current circumstances, nor is it a reaction to the trade policies of the current UK Government.

What it does seek to do is set out a coherent approach to our trade relationships. An approach that better reflects the country we want to be and the trading relationships we want to have with other nations.

As a government we have taken, and will continue to take, definitive steps and actions to encourage and improve our trading performance because we recognise the important role that trade has in increasing economic growth and living standards for the people of Scotland.

The way a country trades and makes trade-related decisions reveals much about that country.

The nature and complexity of modern trading arrangements means that their impacts are experienced far and wide and affect the interests and daily lives of Scotland's businesses and citizens – not least, on food, on jobs, and on the environment. Trade-related decisions have important and far-reaching implications for current and future generations.

That is why Scotland's Vision for Trade is for the longer term and explains how the Scottish Government will consider and reach a position on future trade decisions.

So we want to do all we can to ensure that these decisions are taken in a consistent and coherent manner, underpinned by strong and clear ambitions and values, to support wider government objectives.

Scotland wants to trade based on key principles of inclusive growth, wellbeing, sustainability, a just transition to net zero and good governance. This document explains how we will do that and the approach outlined will frame our international plans now and into the future.

We know that it is businesses that trade, but to avoid them doing so in a vacuum, it is important for governments to set the tone to encourage value based economic development, here and in other countries and regions. The Scottish Government wants our businesses to adopt our values and then to work with businesses that align with those values.

Scotland's Vision for Trade makes no apology for setting our nation high standards on key issues such as working conditions, provenance, and in ways which help to address some of the world's biggest issues, including human rights, modern slavery and the climate emergency.

We also set out the sort of trading partner we as a government want to be – collaborative, inclusive and innovative. Of course, actions speak louder than words so our Vision also sets out the key drivers and levers that we will use to achieve progress.

By developing and publishing Scotland's Vision on Trade we are setting out our stall for the future, openly, transparently and unapologetically setting high standards for ourselves and for others, and on how we want to measure and be judged against that vision. We are clear about the kind of country we want to be and want to be seen as being, with strong values in place to guide how we do business around the world, so that people, businesses and other governments know who we are and what we represent as a nation.

Ivan McKee MSP
Minister for Trade, Innovation and Public Finance