Talks with all Scottish partners, whether from political or academic circles, confirmed the strong interest on the Scottish side in deepening cooperation not only with the Czech Republic but with Europe more broadly. All three universities visited, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University, and the University of Glasgow, are carefully preparing for a return to intensive cooperation with their European partners. Student mobility, which has recently been one of the most closely watched topics in discussions between British and European representatives, is unlikely to reach the levels seen before the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union as early as next year. Nevertheless, the remaining period of the Erasmus+ programme can provide a solid foundation for the years ahead.

Academic and scientific contacts have in some places been successfully maintained even during the period when the UK-EU framework for cooperation lacked clear contours or was entirely absent. One such example is the University of Glasgow, currently the only academic institution in Scotland where Czech language studies are still available. The support provided by the Czech Republic through the placement of a Czech language lecturer at the university has this year been further strengthened by a targeted project of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs aimed at supporting Czech studies abroad. As part of this initiative, Klára Kudlová, an expert from the Institute of Czech Literature of the Czech Academy of Sciences, delivered a lecture entitled Karel Čapek, Democracy and the Human Condition at the university on 23 September.

Interest in Europe has long been evident among Scottish secondary schools as well. In the field of language teaching, a notable example is the rapidly growing event organised in Edinburgh on the occasion of the European Day of Languages, where Czech is regularly presented by enthusiastic volunteers from Czech School Scotland. Ambassador Bartuška and Consul General Frous attended this year’s opening gathering, held on the margins of the traditional launch conference on 22 September.