Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has received from EU member states on conditions for UK participation in the EU's Security Action for Europe defence fund; and whether access to UK fishing waters forms part of those conditions.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This is a critical moment for the security of Europe. We welcome European efforts to increase defence spending, through the ReArm initiative and proposed Security Action for Europe (SAFE) mechanism. This must be a whole-of-Europe effort, in alignment with NATO, which remains the cornerstone of European security.
The UK and the EU have agreed an ambitious new Security and Defence Partnership as part of a wider package that delivers for the British people. The Security and Defence Partnership sets the framework for closer defence industrial collaboration, including potential participation in the EU's proposed €150bn Security Action for Europe instrument.