Committee to take evidence from former senior officials on the foreign, security and defence relationship between the UK and the EU
From 4pm on Tuesday 25 October, the European Affairs Committee will hear evidence from a panel of three former senior officials:
- Lord Ricketts, GCMG GCVO
- The Lord Stirrup, KG GCB AFC
- Sir Julian King, GCMG KCVO
Background
The aim of the UK/EU Relationship inquiry is to examine the overarching state of the post-Brexit UK-EU relationship and how it might be improved in the future. The inquiry is investigating:
- The overall UK-EU political, diplomatic and institutional relationship;
- The UK-EU relationship on foreign policy and security;
- The UK-EU relationship on environment and climate change matters;
- The UK-EU relationship on culture, education and mobility of people
This fourth evidence session will focus on the UK-EU relationship in the areas of foreign policy, security and defence.
Meeting details
At 4:00pm: Oral evidence
Inquiry
The future UK-EU relationship
At 5:30pm: Private discussion
Inquiry
The future UK-EU relationship
Possible topics
- The impact to date of the UK’s departure from the EU on foreign, defence and security cooperation between the UK and the EU
- The extent to which the Government should prioritise engagement with the European Commission
- Whether a structured framework for UK-EU foreign, defence and security cooperation would be of value
- The European Political Community
- Whitehall machinery for coordinating British policy towards the EU and individual Member States
- Cooperation between the UK and the EU in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and any lessons that can be learned from this
- How the UK should approach the NATO-EU relationship, as a non-EU member of NATO
- The implications for the UK of ongoing and future developments in the EU’s approach to foreign, security and defence policy, including the EU’s approach to ‘strategic autonomy’ and the launch of the European Defence Fund
- The potential for the UK to participate in the EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), and the possible implications of this
Further Information