Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of a more joined-up EU defence policy.

The UK takes an active role in the EU Common Security and Defence Policy. As the Prime Minister made clear at the June European Council we want to see the EU's Comprehensive Approach properly coordinated with the action of EU institutions, Member States, and other International Organisations, particularly NATO. The Comprehensive Approach is complementary to the role that NATO has as the cornerstone of European Defence. Member States agreed to take action to improve the delivery of the Comprehensive Approach at the Foreign Affairs Council in May, and will return to the issue in 2016.