Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made on negotiating the UK's participation in the EU’s European Peace Facility.

The UK agreed an ambitious Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) with the EU to strengthen European security, support growth and reinforce NATO. As work progresses to implement the SDP, including the first UK-EU Foreign and Security Policy dialogue on 22 October, the UK will continue to prioritise engagement and cooperation on the issues that are most important in helping to safeguard European security and prosperity – all in support of this government’s NATO first defence policy as set out in the Security and Defence Review. The UK is not currently exploring participation in the European Peace Facility.