Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 5
5
Acknowledged
The Integrated Review notably lacked detail on the future of the UK’s relationship with its...
Conclusion
The Integrated Review notably lacked detail on the future of the UK’s relationship with its European partners and the EU. The renewed illegal invasion of Ukraine has altered the dynamics of European politics and provided a clearer lens through which to view UK-Europe security relations. It is important that the updated IR clarifies the nature of the UK’s security relationship with key European partners and the EU. We will be exploring further the extent to which this relationship should be formalised or institutionalised. (Paragraph 31) Balancing the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic
Government Response Summary
The government states that the UK’s overriding priority remains the Euro-Atlantic and is committed to playing a leading role in upholding its stability, security, and prosperity, building stronger relationships with European allies and partners.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
21. IR2023 sets out that the UK’s overriding priority remains the Euro-Atlantic, which is essential to the UK’s defence and national security, as well as to maintaining the rules- based international order. The UK is committed to playing a leading role in upholding the stability, security, and prosperity of the Euro-Atlantic as a whole, providing leadership where we are best placed to do so. Our ambition is to build even stronger relationships with our European allies and partners based on values, reciprocity, and cooperation across our shared interests. 22. We will continue to extend our security cooperation with European partners through multilateral and mini-lateral forums such as NATO, the OSCE, the Joint Expeditionary Force, the European Political Community, and working with France and Germany to counter the threat from Iran. 23. NATO will remain the core of our deterrence and defence efforts. The UK will maintain our leading position in NATO in the decade ahead, and it remains our highest priority regional institution. We will lead a new conversation in NATO on burden-sharing and future defence spending commitments, beginning at the 2023 NATO Leaders Summit in Vilnius. We will maintain our commitment to spending 2% of GDP on defence, and aim to go beyond with a new ambition to invest 2.5% of GDP on defence, as the fiscal and economic situation allows. 24. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we have cooperated closely with the EU and European partners, including France, Germany and Italy, building stronger security ties with partners in Northern and Eastern Europe. We have agreed new mutual security agreements with Sweden and Finland, and strengthened our enhanced Forward Presence in Estonia. Through the UK-France Summit, we have committed to a stronger bilateral security cooperation with France on areas such as energy security, illegal migration, supporting Ukraine, and establishing a permanent European maritime presence in the Indo-Pacific. 25. Building on our existing support to Ukraine, we will provide further diplomatic and military assistance in 2023—matching or exceeding the defence support we provided in 2022. The UK will also step up engagement with European partners such as Moldova and in the Western Balkans to boost their security and resilience to Russian interference. 26. We will continue to support peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland through maintaining our strong bilateral relationship with Ireland, as a co-guarantor of the Belfast Agreement. The new Windsor Framework creates the foundation for a stronger UK-EU relationship. As part of this, the UK will directly cooperate with the EU on defence, through PESCO. Balancing the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic Conclusion/