FOI/202500458169 · FOI · partially withheld
European Parliament correspondence: FOI release
Information requested
All correspondence sent between the Scottish Government and MEPs or European Parliament officials and minutes/notes from any meetings between the Scottish Government and MEPs, from the previous 30 days (from 19 March 2025).
Response
I enclose, via attachment, a copy of all of the information you have requested.
An exemption under section 38(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA) applies to all of the information you have requested. Section 38 of FOISA relates to personal information. In this instance, the names and contact details of Scottish Government officials under Deputy Director grade have been redacted; as well as European Parliament officials of equivalent seniority.
An exemption under section 32 (1) (ii) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA) applies to some of the information you have requested. Section 32 (1) (ii) concerns relations between the United Kingdom and any international organisation or international court. In this instance, non-GDPR personal information offered in exchanges between staff members (at items 2 and 3) and discussion on not yet confirmed official engagements (items 7 and 9) have been redacted.
A further exemption under section 27(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA) applies to some the information (item 3) you have requested. Section 27 of FOISA relates to information intended for future publication by a Scottish authority.
These exemptions are subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Detected exemption language
An exemption under section 38(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA) applies to all of the information you have requested. Section 38 of FOISA relates to personal information. An exemption under section 32 (1) (ii) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA) applies to some of the information you have requested. Section 32 (1) (ii) concerns relations between the United Kingdom and any international organisation or international court. A further exemption under section 27(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA) applies to some the information (item 3) you have requested.