As independent Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh would reap the benefits of a influx of embassies and diplomats – Angus Robertson

Edinburgh should look to Austria’s capital Vienna for an example of what can be achieved if Scotland became a sovereign state, writes Angus Robertson.

Austria is the same size as Scotland and its capital Vienna is a centre for international diplomacy (Picture: David Walsh)

The time has come for Edinburgh to prepare for Scottish independence. Polls now show that 63 per cent of people in Scotland believe independence will happen. Fifty-five per cent say they would now vote Yes. Our capital must begin planning for its upgrade to a sovereign capital. The boost to Edinburgh will be significant, with independence bringing global investment, jobs, economic growth, enhanced travel links, international visibility and a wide range of further benefits including to education, the environment and sustainable tourism.

As the capital of a nation with devolved powers, Edinburgh is already the country’s administrative, financial and political centre, providing a home for the Scottish Government, Scottish Parliament, the Scottish legal system and a broad array of domestic institutions. Whenever Scotland votes for independence, our capital will automatically become the focus of diplomatic preparations with scores of nations upgrading their consulates to embassies and others opening their first missions, securing official residences and hiring locally employed staff. All of them will support local businesses, catering, hospitality and other service providers. International comparisons show this can be worth a lot.

Austria is a country the same size as Scotland and has made its capital, Vienna, a centre for international diplomacy. One that benefits from bilateral embassies and missions to multilateral organisations including the United Nations, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Diplomatic representation in Vienna amounts to 120 bilateral missions and 197 multilateral missions. These include 143 permanent representations, observers and liaison offices to the international organisations and 54 permanent representations and delegations to the OSCE. Some 3,300 people are accredited as diplomats in these missions, but locally employed staff double the total workforce. The economic benefit from the diplomatic presence in Vienna amounts to an annual total of 585 million euros in staff costs, mission overheads and accommodation, all which is a net transfer from abroad.

The concentration and scale of international organisations and diplomatic representation also create a huge demand for meetings, conferences and summits. In 2017, this amounted to 9,400 conference days involving more than 142,000 participants. UN-associated events alone totalled 47,000 people and an estimated economic value of 538 million euros. In 2018, the Austrian presidency of the European Union brought an additional 300 international meetings. As a result, Vienna has become one the largest and best-rated general conference venues in the world, with 611,000 participants, supporting 21,000 jobs and generating more than 1.1 billion euros a year.

Just as other states will want to be represented in Edinburgh, so will European and international organisations, research organisations, think-tanks and media outlets. In neighbouring Denmark, which has the same population as Scotland, the Copenhagen Diplomatic List includes: 21 international organisations in addition to 73 embassies, five further missions and 186 accredited ambassadorial posts.

Scottish independence will provide a huge opportunity to Edinburgh, including quality jobs, investment and a direct connection with the European and wider international community. It will be important to ensure the whole of Scotland benefits with civil service job dispersal as the capital, Edinburgh, is where the diplomatic community and international organisations will want to be based. City planners, economic development and conservation agencies and private sector actors need to start to factor in these changes. Independence will put Scotland on the diplomatic map and Edinburgh will become the capital of a sovereign state. This has huge positive consequences for the city and we should start to prepare for it now.

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