§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the mandate of the Convention on the Future of Europe Working Group on Defence is; and if he will make a statement. [77818]
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§ Mr. MacShaneThe Government welcome the European Convention's decision to set up a Working Group on Defence. The Working Group's mandate is set out in Convention document CONY 206/02 of 19 July 2002 and reads as follows:
Apart from the Petersberg tasks, what defence remit could be envisaged for the Union?Since the Union has decided that it must have a genuine operational capability, including a military capability, what can be done to ensure that the Member States have the military capabilities needed to guarantee the credibility of the Union's defence policy? Should we seek inspiration from monetary union, and establish admission criteria and a pact to be complied with thereafter?Should provision be made for extending enhanced cooperation to defence matters?What can be done to ensure that decisions can be taken quickly during a crisis management operation?What can be done to ensure coherent planning of the Union's crisis management operations?What methods should be used to ensure greater efficiency and economies of scale in arms procurement, research and development? Should the creation of a European Arms Agency be envisaged?