To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his European Union Counterparts about future European defence co-operation. [16164]

The European Union itself is not responsible for defence co-operation. At the Amsterdam European Council, the UK and European Union partners agreed that the European Union would avail itself of the Western European Union to elaborate and implement decisions and actions of the Union which have defence implications. Arrangements for enhanced co-operation between the European Union and Western European Union have been discussed by the General Affairs Council of the European Union have been discussed by the General Affairs Council of the European Union and by the Council of the Western European Union.