Cornwall is 'open for business' – that's the clear message Cornwall Council Leader Adam Paynter will take to a meeting in Brussels today with the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier. 

The opportunity has come from Cornwall Council's membership of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions, which will see a small delegation of leaders from regions from across Europe meeting Mr Barnier to highlight issues that matter most to their residents.

Cllr Paynter will also use the one day visit as an opportunity to have discussions with Eleni Marianou, Secretary General of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions and to meet with Andreas Lervik, Councillor and Leader of Östfold region in Norway. This meeting will be an opportunity to get valuable insight from a region that participates in EU programmes despite Norway not being an EU member.

Cllr Paynter (right) will raise a number of issues that are important to the future of Cornwall in post-Brexit Britain, including:

ensuring healthy trade links between Cornwall and the EU continue (unlike the UK overall, Cornwall has a trade surplus to the EU);

ensuring co-operation for key industries to thrive, including tourism, the creative sector and agriculture;

enabling Cornish partners to continue participation in research and innovation projects with leading European universities and research institutions;

ensuring Cornish businesses can continue to grow and prosper through access to workforce labour, including seasonal agriculture workers; and

enshrining the value of regional cooperation as a key building block for growth.

Cllr Paynter said: "The Council has been working hard to hold the Government to its promise that no region will be worse off as a result of Brexit. This means ensuring the Government doesn't neglect Cornwall in its replacement UK funding programme.

"At the same time, we can't rely on the Government and need to be putting Cornwall's case forward to our European partners ourselves and forming relationships that will benefit Cornwall, and the wider South West region, long after the UK leaves the European Union.

"This meeting is an opportunity to flag a number of issues that are crucial for Cornwall and will be seeking support to continue strong relationships that we have built up over many years and which are critical issues for us if we are to deliver the ambitions outlined in the UK industrial strategy.

"Securing relationships in Europe post Brexit will be key to Cornwall's future prosperity. This is our opportunity to deliver the message that Cornwall is and will remain open for business post Brexit."

Welcoming the meeting Professor Mark Goodwin, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Exeter University, which undertakes Cornwall's pre-eminent research activity at its Penryn campus, said: "Our academics at Penryn bring more than £19m of research income into Cornwall every year, so our collaborations are also vital for creating high quality jobs in Cornwall and ensuring the sustainable growth and development of our region."

"Continued collaboration with leading European universities and research institutions is crucial to our ability to address key global challenges. For example, through our current links we are making important scientific breakthroughs to address issues such as the impacts of climate change, the pollution of our oceans and coasts by microplastics, and the development of renewable energy."

Story posted 19 December 2018