Recommendation 55

The UK-EU Security and Defence Partnership could be used as a springboard to further operational cooperation on security and defence matters where this is in the UK interest. It is unclear which specific options, such as a Framework Participation Agreement or an Administrative Arrangement with the European Defence Agency, the Government intends to pursue further, especially following the failure of the negotiations on UK involvement in the EU Security Action for Europe programme. While the EU is not a traditional military actor, we have heard how it has some strengths that are complementary to NATO when it comes to security and resilience, in particular its financial and regulatory levers. The UK should seek to engage with these, in particular through the “high level meetings” foreseen by the UK-EU Joint Statement of 19 May 2025. (Conclusion, Paragraph 151)