Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what representations he has made to the European Commission on UK participation in the European Defence Industrial Development programme.

As outlined in the Government future partnership paper on foreign policy, defence and development, we are open to considering options and models for participation in the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) after we have left the EU. Any decisions on the terms of UK participation in the EDIDP will form part of our wider negotiations.

We have argued strongly during the current negotiations of the EDIDP draft regulation that it should be open to third country industrial participation, and that it complements other cooperative programmes, including those developed through NATO. The General Affairs Council endorsed its general approach to the draft regulation on 12 December 2017.