A SENIOR EU official has hit out over the announcement that Scotland's leading European think tank is closing.

Graham Blythe, the former head of the European Commission in Scotland, underlined that the closure of the Scottish Centre on European Relations (SCER) was particularly unfortunate coming at a time when the country's relations with Europe were especially relevant.

READ MORE: Shock as Scottish Centre on European Relations to close over funding problems

He made his views known as he responded to the announcement of the closure by Dr Kirsty Hughes, founder and director of the SCER.

Blythe wrote on Twitter: "Sad to see @SCER_eu  close. Before the European Commission Representation in Scotland closed, it was always good to get the perspective of  @KirstyS_Hughes

"Sad to reflect also that @SCER_eu is gone at atime when Scottish/European relations are perhaps even more in focus than before."

Blythe was head of the European Commission's headquarters in Edinburgh from 2012 to January 2020 when the office closed following Brexit.

He currently is involved with EU work in Malta.

In a statement released on the SCER website yesterday, Hughes said: "The Scottish Centre on European Relations was founded as Scotland’s first independent European affairs think tank in March 2017.

"Since then, we have contributed to a broad and lively debate on European affairs in Scotland, the UK and the EU.

"SCER aimed to promote informed public and political debate via high quality, in-depth political and policy analysis and shorter expert commentary, stimulating on and off-the-record events, and media, and social media, engagement. Through a wide range of reports, policy papers, comment pieces and events, SCER has achieved that aim over the last four years.

“We have ranged widely across different pressing European and international issues: the Brexit debates and the UK leaving the EU – Scotland too despite its remain vote; European challenges for Scottish independence and how, why and whether an independent Scotland could join the EU; the future of the European Union itself – democratic challenges, climate change, foreign policy, development and more.

“Sadly, SCER is now bringing its activities to a close. Without sustained funding, we could not take its activities to the next level we aimed for.

“Huge thanks to those very many people who contributed to, engaged with and supported our activities and enabled SCER to become a high profile, influential European affairs think tank over the last four years.”

Over the years the SCER carried out considerable work on whether Scotland could readily regain access to the European Union after independence and the process for achieving this outcome. It also produced a wide range of papers on the future of the European Union itself.

Hughes also interviewed high profile European figures for her regular podcast with many of the news angles being picked up for articles in The National and other publications.

Her interviewees include Michael Mann, the EU’s envoy to the Arctic, who signalled that an independent Scotland could benefit from speedier membership process than other countries which had joined in recent years.