At its meeting on 26 February 1957 at Lancaster House, London, the Council of Western European Union (WEU) focuses on the reorganisation of British forces. After the remarks by John Selwyn Lloyd, Albert Gazier, French Minister for Social Affairs, stresses that the defence effort of each country is not a question of a percentage of national income or budgetary provisions but should also be considered in terms of income per inhabitant, which means that all the members of the Alliance are facing the same problem. It is therefore vital to promote common defence in a spirit of cooperation, particularly when it comes to weapons production. He notes that it is important for all the Western states to be equipped to deal with all types of aggression. Finally, Albert Gazier is concerned that the British disengagement might have a domino effect, calling the common defence system into question. Since it is unlikely for a decision to be reached during the meeting, the French representative notes that this matter will be considered in depth within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and that once the WEU Council has been informed of NATO’s opinion it will be in a position to resume its discussions.