Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the EU on access to the Security Action for Europe fund.

This is a critical moment for the security of Europe. We welcome European efforts to increase defence spending, through the ReArm initiative and proposed Security Action for Europe (SAFE) mechanism. This must be a whole-of-Europe effort, in alignment with NATO, which remains the cornerstone of European security.

The UK and the EU have agreed an ambitious new Security and Defence Partnership as part of a wider package that delivers for the British people. The Security and Defence Partnership sets the framework for closer defence industrial collaboration, including potential participation in the EU's proposed €150 billion Security Action for Europe instrument.