Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, Cm 9161, paragraph 5.38, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies on intensifying the UK's security and defence relationship with Germany of the EU's Implementation Plan on Security and Defence.

At the Foreign Affairs Council (Defence) on 14 and 15 November 2016, Member States agreed Conclusions on the Security and Defence Implementation Plan (SDIP) that are consistent with the UK's guiding principles: nothing should undermine or duplicate NATO, which remains the cornerstone of European defence; and the European defence industry should remain open and globally competitive. The actions agreed in these Conclusions will increase the effectiveness of the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) as well as help improve NATO/EU cooperation, including taking forward implementation of the Joint EU/NATO Declaration agreed in the margins of the Warsaw Summit.

Our Defence relationships with both France and Germany are bilateral partnerships between sovereign nations, based on our common values, interests, and needs. These relationships go back a long way and will continue to endure after the UK leaves the EU. We remain committed to European security and, as set out in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, will continue to work with others, including bilaterally and through NATO, to tackle shared threats.