European Movement in Scotland

What We Stand For

Our goal is membership of the European Union. We campaign to promote the European Union and Scotland’s fullest possible participation now and for the future.

The European Union is as relevant to Scotland today as ever. In these turbulent times, with little or no certainty about future prospects, the role of the European Movement in Scotland (EMiS) is to keep the flame of Europe burning bright in Scottish polity and public opinion. We assert Scotland’s deep-rooted European identity, campaigning for the closest alignment with EU values and policies, whatever the constitutional and political context.

• We are European – by geography, history, language and culture we are part of Europe. We welcome and support EU citizens who have chosen to be here – we are all Scottish and European. What happens in the EU affects Scotland. EMiS works to help shape the policies that the EU pursues, as well as those that the UK and Scottish governments develop in relation to Europe.  We campaign to ensure Scotland is present in EU thinking.
• European Union Values – peace, democracy, rule of law, human rights, equality, sustainability and solidarity are enshrined in the EU treaties. These values are relevant to all our lives, in or out of the EU. EMiS champions them.
• Benefits of Membership, being a member of the European Union is better than any alternative trade and geopolitical option. The full benefit comes through full EU membership, but many advantages are available, meantime, from close alignment. EMiS works to ensure Scotland keeps uppermost in mind the advantages of closest possible alignment now and the full benefits of future membership. 
• The EU offers a dynamic vision for our future. The EU is constantly evolving. As Europe works together to deliver the Next Generation EU post-pandemic recovery plan, EMiS offers a forum where we join in the debate – learning and contributing – while we work our way forward to membership.

Speaker Service

Do you need a speaker for your club, organisation, school, groups etc.?

We have speakers whose backgrounds range from the academic to the political, and will speak on and debate all aspects of European issues, for example, the UK’s place in the EU, immigration, fiscal and monetary policy, the Common Agricultural Policy, the EU Treaties, the Constitutional Treaty, the future of Europe, and so on.

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President

David Martin became President of EMiS in January 2024. He was the UK’s longest serving Member of the European Parliament, representing Scotland from 1984 to 2019. He was the youngest ever leader of the Labour group of MEPs. 

David is a former Scottish European Parliamentarian of the Year and a former European Parliament Trade MEP of the Year. During his time as an MEP, he focused on Trade and Development, Human Rights, Constitutional Affairs and Democracy. He authored over one hundred Reports for the Parliament. He served for 15 years as Vice-President of the Parliament and was a leading reformer of its working methods.  

David was a Member of the First Minister of Scotland’s Standing Council on Europe.  He was a visiting Professor at the University of Glasgow (2019-2022) and Senior Fellow at RSIS in Singapore, one of Asia’s leading centres of International Studies.   

David Martin was educated at Heriot Watt University and the University of Leicester. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Law from the University of the Punjab, in recognition of his work to strengthen relations between the EU and Pakistan.  

Vice-Presidents

Sarah Boyack MSP
Patrick Harvie MSP
Willie Rennie MSP
Alyn Smith

Patrons

Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale,
Rt Hon Sir Malcolm Rifkind KCMG, KC,
Rt Hon Lord Wallace of Tankerness PC KC

Scottish European of the Year

2025 Richard Demarco CBE, OBE
2024 Clare Scanlan

Honorary Life Members

2025

Niamh Donnellan
Mark Lazarowicz

2024

David Gow
Michael Russell
Clare Scanlan

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Executive Committee

Extended Executive Bios

Bill Rodger
A former senior manager with Centrica/British Gas/Scottish Gas, Bill initially worked in Operational Research focussing on energy demand modelling before moving into Business Planning, Economic Analysis and finally large scale IT implementation and programme management.  It was during some innovative long term scenario planning work that he came to fully appreciate the central role that Europe would play in the UK’s and Scotland’s future.  

Mark Lazarowicz
I was the chair of the European Movement in Scotland between 2018 and 2022, and have remained as a member of the executive committee since then. I am also active in a number of other European organisations, including the Citizens’ Rights Project which supports and advocates for EU and other European citizens in Scotland. I was the Labour MP for Edinburgh North & Leith from 2001 to 2014. I live in Edinburgh. I am a lawyer, in practice as an advocate at the Scottish bar.

David Brew
Having served on several public bodies following his retirement, David Brew currently chairs the governing body of Abertay University in Dundee. A former official of the European Commission, he spent most of his executive career in UK and Scottish Government, where European policy was a key area of expertise. A past Head of Fisheries in Marine Scotland, he is a seasoned negotiator at European and international level.

Iain Mitchell
In a previous life, Iain G. Mitchell KC was Honorary Secretary of the Scottish Conservative Party and stood as a Conservative Candidate five times for Westminster, twice for the Scottish Parliament and once for the European Parliament. He is now focussed more on continuing to contribute to Europe and spends a lot of time in Brussels and elsewhere as the Faculty of Advocates representative on the UK Delegation to the CCBE (Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe), a UK expert on the CCBE’s IT Panel and Vice-Chair of its Surveillance Working Party. He is also a Board Member of the Association of European Lawyers and Chair of its Emerging Technologies Committee. He is a Fellow of the European Legal Institute. He considers Brexit to have been a disastrous mistake and is determined to do all he can to seek to reverse it.

Fiona Wishlade 
Retired Professor in European Policies research. Member of Glasgow for Europe. Member of National Council of the European Movement UK and of the Council of Grassroots for Europe. Local Groups coordinator for the European Movement in Scotland.

Victoria Lee
I am a mum and a GP and a lifelong European. I believe Brexit brings nothing positive and that we need to work together to minimise the impact from this act of national self-harm. Professionally we are held to account if we deliberately misinform when gaining informed consent and yet those who misled the population over Brexit have never been held to account. The imperative to work with our European neighbours has never been greater and I am committed to working alongside others to try and make this happen.

Stuart Baillie Strong
Stuart Baillie Strong is a former IT consultant who lived in Brussels for 40 years. He was also formerly an executive for two International chemical companies. His father in law Sir James Marjoribanks submitted the UK’s application to join the EU in 1967. 

Sir Graham Watson
A Brandane by birth, Sir Graham Watson graduated from Heriot Watt University as a qualified interpreter. After a career in international banking and politics he lives in Edinburgh and teaches the EU to graduate students in Canada in the Fall. His leisure interests include sailing, walking and the arts.

Martin Roche
Martin Roche had a career in international public relations. He retired in 2021 and returned to live in Scotland. He has overall responsibility for the EMiS communications strategy and messaging, writing frequently for the broadsheet press and a variety of other print and online media. 

David Roulston
David held senior posts in social care and housing working with a variety of client groups mainly in England. He returned to Scotland in 2017 and subsequently helped found the South West of Scotland branch of EMiS.

David McKenzie
David McKenzie is from Glasgow. Career included 4 decades in global IT company, moving from trainee to senior executive. Lived in many countries, including USA, Germany, France and England. Subsequently, retrained as a Renewable Energy consultant. In retiral, involved in multiple charitable / community projects in Argyll and Glasgow. Elected to Board of Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park for 8 years. Currently Membership Secretary for EMiS; also, Secretary to one of the largest SNP Branches and Chair of Trustees for a residential home in Glasgow’s West End. Speaks (badly) German and French and proud holder of an EU passport.

Clare Scanlan
Clare Scanlan was voted the first Scottish European of the Year by EMiS members, in 2024. She is a founding member of Glasgow for Europe and of Glasgow EU Citizens’ Forum. She worked with the NHS and, prior to moving to Scotland, with Dublin City Council. Clare joined the EMiS Executive Committee following her election at the AGM in March 2025. 

John Edward
“I started work in Brussels at the European Policy Centre, as assistant to Max Kohnstamm.  Thereafter I worked for Scotland Europa, Scottish Enterprise and the European Parliament Office in Scotland. While working in independent education, I was the Chief Campaign Spokesman for Scotland Stronger in Europe in the 2016 Referendum, followed with work for the People’s Vote and Open Britain. For over a decade I was a trustee of the Scottish European Educational Trust, and now run operations for the Scottish Council on Global Affairs.”

Tobias Baganz
Tobi is originally from Germany and now lives in Glasgow with his husband who is a German lecturer at Glasgow University. During his studies of Applied Foreign Languages and International Economic Relations he was able to extensively benefit from the Erasmus scheme living, working and studying across Germany, France and the UK. After 5 years of helping a Bath eCommerce business expand their EU presence and 4 years of consulting customers all over Europe on different software solutions he now works in Software Sales and is a passionate believer in the European project.

Martin Wilkinson
Emeritus Professor in Marine Biology, Heriot-Watt University. Secretary of Fife for Europe. Was involved in design of coastal and estuarine monitoring using marine plants for EU Water Framework Directive.