Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which EU (a) legislative and (b) other proposals his Department is leading negotiations on for the Government in the Council of the EU.

There are no European Union (EU) legislative Defence proposals because Defence remains a Member State competence.

The UK is engaged in important EU operations and missions including:

Operation SOPHIA, which is disrupting smuggling and illegal migrant flows to Europe within the Southern Central Mediterranean;

Operation ATALANTA, which is tackling Somali-based piracy and armed robbery at sea off the Horn of Africa and in the Western Indian Ocean; and

EU Training Mission Mali, providing training to Malian army and security forces under the control of legitimate civilian political authorities.