More on UK-French Future Aircraft Carrier Agreement

UK Ministry of Defence, A landmark agreement between the UK and French Governments on cooperation on aircraft carriers was signed in Innsbruck today by UK Defence Secretary John Reid, and French Defence Minister Madame Michele Alliot-Marie. 
 
The Carrier project will provide the UK Armed forces with the largest and most powerful warships ever constructed in the UK. 
 
Under the terms of the MOU, UK and France will co-operate on the demonstration phase work to produce a Common Baseline Design that will meet requirements for CVF and French requirements for its carrier, PA2. It is also intended to identify shared procurement opportunities. Ministers agreed in January the level of fee that France would pay together with their share of the demonstration phase costs. A French team has already been accommodated alongside their UK colleagues. 
 
Speaking from Innsbruck, Mr Reid said: 
 
“Co-operation between our two countries on our future aircraft carriers is of key importance, and the signing of this agreement today is a major step that launches our cooperation on future aircraft carriers for the next 12 months. 
 
“In the current security environment, we must ensure that our forces have the right tools to do the jobs which we ask of them. France and the UK are working in partnership across a range of systems, which will bring benefits not only to the Armed Forces of both countries, but also to our industrial bases, economies and, therefore, to our populations.”  
 
Background Information and Notes:
 
1. John Reid is attending informal meetings of EU Defence Ministers in Innsbruck, Austria, on Monday 6 and Tuesday 7 March 2006. The signing of the MoU builds upon the agreement that was reached during the last Anglo / French bilateral in London on January 24th 2006. 
 
2. Topics for discussion include Civil-military coordination (Emergency Support, Crisis Management); EU Operations in the Western Balkans and in Africa; and Military Capabilities of the EU (Headline Goal 2010, Battle Groups. A meeting of the European Defence Agency scheduled on Tuesday 7 March. 
 
3. Austria took on Presidency of the EU in January 2006. The United Kingdom held the Presidency of the EU from July to December 2005. 
 
4. John Reid announced in London on 24 January the agreement between UK and France on Aircraft Carrier co-operation. Today marks the formalisation of that agreement by the signing of the associated Memorandum of Understanding that finalises the management arrangements. 
 
5. France has agreed to pay an initial fee of