Decision details

(i)       to approve the international trade and investment key priority markets for 2021- 2022;

(ii)       to approve the travel expenditure to fulfil the agreed travel plan based on identified key priority markets and as detailed below:-

(a)    one elected member plus one officer to visit Barranquilla, Columbia for the purposes of MOU fulfilment;

(b)    one elected member plus one officer to visit Villahermosa and Ciudad del Carmen for the purposes of MOU fulfilment;

(c)    one elected member plus one officer to visit Macae, Brazil for the purposes of MOU fulfilment;

(d)    the Lord Provost plus one officer to visit newest WECP partner city Ulsan, South Korea;

(e)    the Lord Provost plus two officers to attend the WECP Annual General Meeting in Dammam, Saudi Arabia;

(f)     the Lord Provost plus one officer to attend CERAWeek in Houston USA;

(g)    the Lord Provost and one officer to visit Ufa, Russia, 19th-24th October (Media-Cultural Forum) and a potential related visit to St Petersburg, Russia, for the purposes of engaging with a potential new WECP member;

(h)    potential visits by one elected member and one officer to the emerging new markets of Nigeria, Angola, Vietnam and Singapore;

(i)     an elected member and one officer to attend the Council of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) Political Bureau and General Assembly;

(j)     an elected member and one officer to attend three meetings of the North Sea Commission (NSC) Executive Committee and three meetings of the Transport Group, locations to be confirmed; and

(iii)      to delegate authority to the Chief Officer - City Growth to authorise necessary and appropriate travel and associated expenditure, provided the cost of such travel does not exceed the budgets set out in section 4 of this report and provided that any guidance and advice related to international travel and Covid-19 is adhered to and travel is in line with current Council travel policies.