Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of recent proposals by his German counterpart on increased integration and co-operation of EU member states' armed forces.

Although we welcome closer co-operation between the armed forces of EU and NATO member states, this needs to be based on improving defence capabilities across Europe, not creating new institutions. We will not support measures which would undermine member states' competence for their own military forces, or lead to competition and duplication with NATO.