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Following publication of the independent Rycroft Review on 25 March 2026, the Government set out steps to strengthen the UK’s political finance framework to address the risk of foreign financial interference, including through the Representation of the People Bill, which will introduce a cap on donations from overseas electors and a moratorium on donations via cryptoassets, and will strengthen donation rules across the regime, which remain subject to strict permissibility, transparency and enforcement requirements to ensure the true source of funds is identifiable and lawful.

Last year, the Government invested over £31 million in programmes in the Western Balkans, supporting women and girls, protecting democratic values, and enhancing resilience to hostile state influences, including funding for counter-disinformation and cyber defence support. We will set out details of future funding allocations in the coming months, we continue to be committed to pursuing a wide range of objectives in partnerships across the region focussed on stability, security, and prosperity among other issues.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer she was provided on 17 November 2025 in response to Question 88261.

The matters raised by the Rt Hon Member are primarily for the Cabinet Office who were responsible for the written statement to which her questions refer, and the Ministry of Defence who are the responsible department for defence industrial matters.

We however continue to deepen and strengthen our cooperation with the EU on a range of related matters - including in tackling hybrid threats - via our new Security and Defence Partnership. Our relationships through NATO of course remain the bedrock of our security and defence.

The Hon Member may be referring to the informal grouping of the United Kingdom, United States, France, Germany and Italy which, for example, works alongside the EU and NATO on promoting stability in the Western Balkans.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office keeps all aspects of its Official Development Assistance programmes under review to ensure the maximum impact on our objectives, in consultation with other government departments and a wide range of other stakeholders.

The Security and Defence Partnership agreed with the European Union on 19 May is an example of this Government delivering on our manifesto commitments to strengthen European security, support growth and reinforce NATO.

Implementation is progressing. Since May, the Defence Secretary has held discussions with the European Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius, where they discussed our ambition to explore the potential for enhanced UK-EU cooperation under SAFE. The Foreign Secretary has also held talks with the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas on the geopolitical challenges that face our continent. We look forward to the foreign and security policy dialogue between the High Representative, the Foreign Secretary and the Defence Secretary this autumn.

In addition, officials from across Government continue to hold consultations with their EU counterparts on a range of issues, including but not limited to Iran, Russia-Ukraine, and tackling irregular migration.

As the Defence Secretary has previously said to this House, he will ensure that any UK commitment– whether financial or non-financial – provides value for the UK taxpayer and supports our defence goals. We will continue to prioritise engagement and cooperation on the issues that are most important in helping to safeguard European security and prosperity – all in support of this government’s NATO First defence policy.

The Defence Secretary and I look forward to continuing to update the House on developments. The Defence Secretary’s offer still stands that he is happy to arrange a discussion with the Member of Parliament for South Suffolk who has shown such interest in these topics.

Having been to the region twice—I am going back soon, within the next six weeks—I assure the right hon. Gentleman that we have absolutely not lost interest. Dame Karen Pierce is at the centre of that, alongside the Berlin process, which we will host later this year.

Dame Karen Pierce is one of our most senior and experienced diplomats, and I very much welcome her appointment as an envoy to the western Balkans, but since her appointment, we have heard precious little about the western Balkans from the Foreign Secretary’s Department. Can he reassure this House that we have not lost interest in the western Balkans?

The 2025 Berlin Process Summit will take place in the UK this autumn. It will be preceded by meetings in the UK of Economic, Interior and Foreign Ministers from all members of the Berlin Process, and over ten events for government and non-government participants in the Western Balkans. We are consulting partners on potential outcomes, in line with the Prime Minister's focus on migration, security and economic growth. We are working closely with the new German Government and the EU institutions, including on implementation of outstanding commitments, to increase intra-regional cooperation and bring the region closer to its European partners.

We support the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of Western Balkans countries as a route to promote stability and prosperity in the region, to help address threats to European security, and to counter irregular migration and serious organised crime. We work closely with the EU and other international partners, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), to support regional cooperation and reforms that drive integration with Euro-Atlantic institutions. We also work together to counter Russian disinformation and economic and political coercion in the region. This year's UK-hosted Berlin Process will support Western Balkans countries' Euro-Atlantic aspirations by focusing on strengthened regional cooperation to tackle irregular migration and serious organised crime, reinforced European security, and unlocking barriers to growth.

The UK is delighted to host the Berlin Process this year. We will organise meetings of Ministers, government officials and non-government stakeholders to build stronger economic and security ties between the countries of the Western Balkans and deepen cooperation with our European partners, working closely with the new German Government. We will invite leaders from the six Western Balkans countries, European partners, regional organisations, and EU institutions to the Berlin Process Summit in the UK later this year, where we will seek to agree initiatives to enhance regional security, tackle irregular migration, and boost economic growth. We are working to identify a date for the Summit, which we hope to announce as soon as possible.

We welcome the strong support for Ukraine from our international partners, and the growing interest in contributing to the 'Coalition of the Willing'. The meeting of 2 March was one in a series of meetings aimed at intensifying efforts in pursuit of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. The Prime Minister called Baltic leaders on the morning of the 2 March meeting, and Minister of State, Stephen Doughty, spoke to Baltic counterparts the next day. Minister Doughty also spoke with Ministers and representatives from the Baltic States at the Aurora Forum on 11 March. The Baltic States have been represented at subsequent discussions, including the most recent meeting in Paris on 27 March. UK Ministers and officials are in constant engagement with Baltic Allies on Ukraine.

The UK supports post-conflict reconciliation in the Western Balkans, through diplomatic and programmatic efforts. This has included funding for the International Commission on Missing Persons for work in the Western Balkans, including for Regional Co-operation through the Missing Persons Group. The UK allocated £150,000 to the International Commission on Missing Persons for the period 1 July 2024 to 1 July 2025. The UK does not currently have plans for funding beyond this period.

We will use the Berlin Process to advance security and growth through strengthened partnerships with our Western Balkan and other European partners, including on tackling irregular migration. This will support the Prime Minister's domestic missions of national security, secure borders, safer streets and kickstarting growth. It will strengthen Euro-Atlantic integration and regional co-operation between the six Western Balkan countries. The Berlin Process consists of a Leaders' Summit, ministerial meetings and other forums and we are keen for voices to be heard in a constructive and inclusive atmosphere. Dame Karen Pierce, the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, will drive forward preparations for the Summit.

We engage regularly with the Baltic States. The Prime Minister called Baltic leaders on the morning of 2 March and all three Baltic States attended the most recent leaders' meeting on 15 March. The Foreign Secretary discussed security with Estonian and Lithuanian counterparts on 3 and 12 March respectively. The Minister of State, Stephen Doughty hosted representatives from the Baltic States at a roundtable of ministers and senior officials on 11 March and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Permanent Under-Secretary hosted Estonian and Latvian counterparts on 10 and 12 March respectively to discuss developments in Ukraine.

Stability in the Western Balkans is important for UK and European security. Minister Doughty visited Montenegro and Serbia in January, where he discussed developments in the region with leaders. We continue to cooperate closely with our European and American partners. The UK hosted a meeting of 'Quint' (UK, US, France, Germany, Italy plus the European External Action Service (EEAS), European Commission and NATO) representatives in London on 26-27 February 2025 and discussions included the security implications of recent developments in the Western Balkans. The appointment of Dame Karen Pierce as the new Special Envoy and the UK hosting of the Berlin Process will be important opportunities to expand cooperation with our partners in the Western Balkans to help drive regional economic growth and tackle the common challenge of irregular migration.