§ Mr. Richard Shepherdasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his talks with NATO.
§ Mr. PymI welcomed the early opportunity to meet my NATO colleagues at the Eurogroup and defence planning committee meetings held between 14–16 May and was impressed by the Alliance's clear resolve to meet the challenges of the future. While noting with concern that many trends in the military balance of power continue to favour the Warsaw Pact, NATO defence Ministers welcomed the steps already taken to bring about improvements in the Alliance's defence and deterrent posture. It was recognised, however, that further efforts are required in strengthening NATO's collective defence.
The full texts of the final communiqués of the Eurogroup and defence planning committee meetings have been placed in the Library.