§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the mandate and activities of the EU Working Group on European Armament Policy. [90434]
§ Mr. Tony LloydI have been asked to reply.
The Ad Hoc EU Working Party on a European Armaments Policy (POLARM) was established by COREPER in July 1995 to consider a report produced by governmental experts and see if work should be taken forward within the EU. Since December 1997, POLARM has considered a draft common position on framing a European armaments policy on which there has been no agreement to date.