§ Mr. CashTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the policy of Her Majesty's Government on the issue of reinforced co-operation in its application to defence. [138591]
§ Mr. VazThe proposals for European defence contained in the reports to the Helsinki and Feira European Councils on strengthening the common European security and defence policy envisage that the Council should be able to decide to launch an operation by consensus, but that no member state should be obliged to participate in that operation. It is therefore possible that a decision to launch an operation would be implemented by less than all member states. This would represent a sui generis form of enhanced co-operation.
The Government are satisfied that such proposals can be implemented without the need for amendment to the Treaty on European Union.