Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

EU Permanent Structured Co-operation Projects

Monday 19 February 2024 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Department's priority is to finalise entry into the permanent structured co-operation military mobility project before considering involvement in other projects.
  • The UK Government considers each PESCO project on a case-by-case basis.
  • PESCO is viewed as a vehicle for increasing military mobility around the continent.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alyn Smith
Defence Brexit
Context

The question arises from the UK's need to finalise its entry into the military mobility project under PESCO and concerns about potential benefits and constraints of further involvement in other PESCO projects.

Question

What assessment has his Department made of the potential merits of participating in further EU permanent structured co-operation projects?

Answer from James Heappey

The Department's priority is to finalise entry into the permanent structured co-operation military mobility project before considering involvement in other projects. However, we assess that the EU's standard “third country” terms for PESCO projects involving procurement or capability development will continue to impose significant constraint on UK involvement.

Answered
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Q2 Alyn Smith
Defence
Context

Concerns over the evolving nature of PESCO and the potential benefits for UK involvement, with a suggestion to publish criteria for assessing each opportunity on its merits.

Question

I appreciate that the UK Government's attitude to PESCO is to take each project on a case-by-case basis, but may I suggest that publishing criteria for that case-by-case assessment would be useful? It is obvious to the dogs in the street that PESCO will evolve at light-speed, and the UK risks missing out on a lot of important co-operation that could be beneficial. Will the Minister publish that guidance?

Answer from James Heappey

I note the hon. Gentleman's suggestion, and I fear that my answer will give him encouragement to table the 68 questions, because it is right that we consider each opportunity in PESCO on its merits. PESCO is a vehicle for increasing military mobility around the continent. Non-EU NATO partners support that fully, and the UK is among them, but industrial or technological co-operation will not always be in the UK's interest, or in the interest of UK industry, so it is right that we consider these things case by case.

Partly answered

Not addressed: publishing criteria for assessment

How: Consider Each Opportunity On Its Merits

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