Honourable Members of the European Parliament,
The Council of the European Union has not discussed the establishment of the US anti-missile shield and its possible stationing in the territory of the EU; therefore, I am in no position to convey the Council's opinion on this issue. I would like to remind you that decision-making concerning the hosting of armed forces or military equipment is within the competence of every Member State, the Member States being thus independent in their decisions on these matters.
Allow me to make it clear that so far no EU-US discussions regarding the establishment of the anti-missile defence system have taken place. Neither did the two sides plan cooperation in this area. The EU Council has not considered raising this issue with either the US or NATO. As you know, the anti-missile defence is already a subject of cooperation both within NATO and in the NATO-Russia Council.
