Scottish Government
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National Economic Forum

The inaugural meeting of Scotland's National Economic Forum, bringing together key representatives from the private, public, third sector and trade unions, was held recently.

First Minister Alex Salmond told the Forum that Scotland was once, and can be again, one of the wealthiest countries in the world.

The Forum's purpose is to enable those at the forefront of driving Scotland's economy forward to debate and discuss the economic challenges and priorities. It is designed to inform the work of the Council of Economic Advisers, and play a pivotal role in delivering on the Government's Economic Strategy.

The First Minister said:

"Too few people are aware that at the close of the 19th century Scotland was probably the wealthiest country per capita in the world. The impact of economic decline took its effect and diminished our economic standing.

"But we cannot and will not allow our more recent economic history to diminish our ambitions for the future of Scotland's economy. Our number one priority is to increase sustainable economic growth in Scotland.

"Our aim is to close the growth gap with the rest of the UK in the lifetime of this parliament, and move forward to emulate the success of the 'arc of prosperity' round Scotland's shores - the small independent nations such as Ireland, Norway and Iceland.

"In building new structures such as the National Economic Forum and Council of Economic Advisers, we can achieve not just stronger economic growth - we can also strengthen the solidarity and cohesion of Scottish society.

"We have published a Government Economic Strategy which is crystal clear about the scale of our economic potential and our ambitions for the future - and is equally upfront that government alone cannot meet the all of the challenges.

"Today's launch of the National Economic Forum shows yet again our determination to reach out across Scotland's economy and society - to business, the public sector, the third sector and trade unions - to build a consensus on what we can achieve as a nation and the routemap to get there.

"In partnership with the key players represented here, we can capitalise on our human capital, the skills, knowledge and potential of our people, and the economic advantages of our strong and competitive industries.

"Together, we can regain and secure Scotland's leading place in the global economy."

Related Information

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy/national-economic-forum

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy/Council-Economic-Advisers

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/This-Week/Speeches/First-Minister/nat-econ-forum

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