The Business - 07/06/2009

As votes in the EU elections are counted, Graham Stewart brings you a European-themed edition of The Business. Dougie Adams, economic advisor for the Ernst and Young ITEM Club, gives us his gloomy assessment of the Scottish economy. His report says the economic crisis is likely to cast a long shadow over the country's labour market with many more job losses to come, although we are beginning to turn the corner. On a more positive note, a favourable exchange rate for many Scottish businesses suggests now may be an ideal time to look into the opportunities offered by a single market of some 500 million customers... Gillian Marles visits Glasgow scrap metal processors, John R. Adams, which was forced to look for new markets in the 1990s and has now embraced the European opportunity. There's plenty of assistance on offer too. Niall Stuart from the Scottish Council for Development and Industry reveals how Scottish companies can become more competitive abroad. Meanwhile, Anne MacColl, Scottish Development International's director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, explains what her teams on the ground are doing to help Scottish companies and also what's being done to attract inward investment to Scotland. Richard Stones of the law firm Lovells tells us how the result of the European elections could change the system of financial regulation and the way we do business. And Gillian Sharpe reports on how complacency about language skills could be costing British business dear.