HL Deb 25 January 2001 vol 621 c21WA
Lord Shore of Stepney

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What are the commitments which the United Kingdom has entered into, under the European Security and Defence Policy, for the gathering, analysis and distribution of intelligence material for European Union purposes. [HL405]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

At the European Council at Nice, EU member states agreed the terms of reference of the EU Military Staff, which would perform "early warning, situation assessment and strategic planning for Petersberg tasks".

To carry out this task the staff will rely on appropriate national and multinational intelligence capabilities. The detailed arrangements for handling intelligence material will be subject to stringent safeguards and will take full account of existing national and multinational agreements.