Convention on the Future of Europe

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 3:15 pm on 9 July 2003.

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Photo of Jack Straw Jack Straw Foreign Secretary 3:15, 9 July 2003

I may have misheard the right hon. Gentleman, in which case I am sure that he will correct me, but I thought I heard him say that the draft makes no reference to NATO. However, article I-40 on page 29 contains many references to NATO. It states:

"The policy of the Union . . . shall not prejudice the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain Member States and shall respect the obligations of certain Member States, which see their common defence realised in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, under the North Atlantic Treaty".