§ 27. Mr. HargreavesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether European defence can and will continue to be developed within the framework of the Atlantic alliance. [25458]
§ Mr. David DavisWe are committed to maintaining NATO as the bedrock of our common defence. The NATO summit in January last year welcomed the emergence of a European security and defence identity as a means of strengthening -the European pillar of the alliance while enabling European allies to take greater responsibility for their common security and defence.
The proposals set out by the Prime Minister in this House on 1 March, Official Report, columns 1060–74, would promote this objective by allowing Europeans to act together more effectively within the Western European Union.