PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
European Union (19 March 2015)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many times he has met with (a) the President of the European Commission, (b) Vice Presidents of the European Commission, (c) the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and (d) European Commissioners since July 2014.

Asked by:
Pat McFadden (Labour)

The Secretary of State for for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), and I regularly engage with Commissioners and Members of the European Parliament. In addition to specific inward and outward visits, we routinely talk to European Commissioners during and in the margins of Councils, conferences and other events on a monthly basis. The following examples are indicative. 2014 was an atypical year for engagement with Commissioners because of the transition from the Barroso to Juncker Commissions.

We both met First-Vice President Timmermans in London in March 2015 and I also met him in the margins of the February and March 2015 General Affairs Councils. I met Vice President Georgieva in March 2015, Commissioner Hahn in January 2015 and Commissioner Hill in January 2015. The Foreign Secretary also met Commissioner Hill in December 2014. In 2014, I met Commissioners Fule, Sefcovic and Vice President Reding.

We both met the new High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice President, Federica Mogherini, in London on 24 February 2015. The Foreign Secretary and I regularly meet the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice President at meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council Brussels. The Foreign Secretary also meets her at sessions of the nuclear negotiations with Iran and at other events such as at the Munich Security Conference in February 2015. Both the Foreign Secretary and I met the former High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice President Baroness Cathy Ashton numerous times since January 2014. A precise number of these meetings is not held on record.

Answered by:
Sir David Lidington (Conservative)
25 March 2015