European Political Community holds inaugural meeting, Russia remains the focus

Europe, News October 7, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Leaders from the European Political Community (EPC) member states held an inaugural meeting in Prague, the Czech Republic on October 6, 2022. EPC is a 44-member group of European countries established to act as a forum for political and strategic cooperation.

The symbolic summit comes at a time when the region is faced with a security threat. Europe is plagued with security and energy emergencies due to the ongoing situation in the east. The inaugural meeting was focused on underlining the importance of Moscow’s isolation amid its invasion of Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron proposed the idea to establish EPC in March 2022. Other European leaders including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz supported the plans to establish a forum where European-level security and cooperation strategies can be discussed. In addition to the 27 EU member states, EPC includes 17 other European countries including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iceland, Moldova, Turkiye, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. The only two European nations not invited to join the EPC are Russia and its neighboring ally Belarus.

In his opening remarks at the inaugural meeting, Macron said that the group’s existence sends a strong message about the unity of European nations. He further added that the group would ensure a “strategic closeness” to common solutions in the face of increasing threats. The French president indicated that the EPC does not seek to compete with the European Union or any other European organization, but instead aims to complement them.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that “It is very visible that all of us who are meeting here know that the Russian attack on Ukraine is a brutal violation of the security and peace that we have had in Europe over the last decades. And therefore, it is important that we reject this attack.”

*^{Leaders of 44 countries gather for the European Political Community summit in Prague, the Czech Republic on October 6, 2022. (Image Credit: Twitter/@sandumaiamd)}*

The summit featured an opening ceremony where representatives from 43 of the 44 member states were present. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was tied up with a crucial parliamentary debate at home due to which he pulled out at the last minute.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined the event via video link. During his address, he urged European leaders to turn the EPC into an organization that strives to achieve sustainable peace in Europe. “Let today be the starting point. The point from which Europe and the entire free world will move to guarantee peace for all of us. It is possible,” he said while urging the European leaders to “direct all possible powers of Europe to end the war” in Ukraine.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the summit was “a very timely initiative” to discuss problems of the European continent and find common solutions. However, he cautioned that the EPC should not rival the European Union and should not become an alternative for countries hoping to join the EU. Turkiye has been a long-time applicant to join the EU, as it applied for membership in 1987. The EU has stalled its application process since then citing human rights violations, economic insatiability, and other political reasons.

^{EU Leaders attend the plenary session of the European Council on the second day of the Prague Summit at which they mainly discussed the energy crisis, economic situation, and Ukraine crisis. (Image Credit: Twitter/@EU2022_CZ)}

British Prime Minister Liz Truss remained under a special spotlight during the event. The newly appointed Prime Minister of the UK is facing severe pressure at home due to the increasing cost of living in her country. Her decision to attend the EPC summit left some hoping for UK’s return to the EU.

After the opening ceremony, a series of meetings were held between the leaders to discuss topics related to security, energy, climate, the economy, and migration. However, the meetings and ceremony remained largely informal as no formal policy statement, agreement, resolution, or declaration was drafted during the course of the inaugural meetings.