§ Mr. Duncan SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if his speech to the Franco-British Council on Monday 24 October represents Government policy.
§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, following his speech of 24 October, what is Government policy on earmarking forces for a nascent European army; what options he is considering for an independent European defence structure outside NATO; and what consideration he has given to making the Western European Union a formal fourth pillar of the EU.
§ Mr. David DavisThere is no question of a European army. As agreed at Maastricht, the Western European Union is being developed as the defence component of the European Union and as the means to strengthen the European pillar of the Atlantic alliance. WEU has no standing forces of its own, but relies on NATO and other national forces, which can be made available on an ad hoc basis for WEU operations.