It’s finally happening.

This Thursday will see the very first meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) in the Czech Republic’s capital, Prague.

But what is this community? What is the goal? Will it replace the European Neighbourhood? and is it just another Brussels Pipe Dream?

Let’s find out.

What is the European Political Community?

Effectively acting as an extra anchor to the European Union, the EPC is the brainchild of French President Emmanuel Macron, proposed in May as an additional grouping that would bring together the 27 EU member states, Balkan states, and others such as the United Kingdom which fall within the European neighbourhood.

Following the June 2022 European Council summit, it was decided by the council that this project would be launched, particularly as a way of finding ways to resolve and fight against “the dramatic consequences of Russia’s war [in Ukraine]”

The list of states include Turkey, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Albania, Armenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Moldova, and Georgia.

The goal? To foster political dialogue and strengthen cooperation on issues of common interest, whilst also working to strengthen the security, stability, and prosperity of the European continent as a whole.

While some said that this could just be a stealthy attempt at creating a multi-speed Europe, it was clarified by the EU that the platform “does not replace any existing organization, structure or process and does not aim to create new ones at this stage”.

Following up on this summit, we will see EU leaders will also hold an informal meeting on Friday, where the top issues on the agenda will be “Russia’s war in Ukraine, energy and the economic situation” the statement said.​​​​​​​

What were the reactions to the ECP?

Initially, this was not seen as a positive move, but rather another French attempt to slow down the EU accession process.

These perceptions were combined with not only a frustration borne of the the attempts to change the accession process and criteria for potential member states, but was also impacted by the frustrations regarding the proposed solutions to the conflict between Bulgaria and North Macedonia, which has effectively blocked North Macedonia’s EU accession process.

There is also an increasing frustration in many states such as Albania, Montenegro, and Serbia, due to the lack of progress in their candidacies which started in 2014, 2010, and 2012 respectively.

Who Supports the EPC?

Support for this initiative has increased in recent days, with Albanian Prime Minister, Eid Rama, and Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, recently penning a public letter in Politico where they discuss the importance of this initiative.

“We need a platform that doesn’t overlap with the strong regional organizations we already have in Europe or supplant the well-structured process of EU accession for candidate countries. The EPC should be a workspace where we can meet and do business, whether an EU member or not.”

Outlining avenues for positive collaboration within the EPC, they spoke about a focus on “expanding and integration [Europe’s] energy and transport networks”, as well as working “towards an interconnected and climate-neutral energy system in Europe”. The issues of cybersecurity and investing in the “common future” of Europe was also highlighted.

They also outlined the possibility of the EPC being used to coordinate ahead of and following major events such as the COP26 in Glasgow, and in general, this showed a very progressive, pro-European vision of the initiative.

“The EPC presents us with a critical opportunity to face our shared challenges head on. Europe must shape its own future, and the only way to do so is to work together as democratic members of the European family. Working together makes us stronger, safer and more prosperous. So, in Prague, let us establish a forum that’s inclusive and effective.”

The initiative has even seen support from surprising corners of our continent, with Liz Truss announcing that she will attend the inaugural summit. After having initially expressed doubts, she appears to have developed a cautious interest, and is aiming to primarily discus the joint challenges that Europe as a whole faces, such as dealing with Russian aggression.

While this is far from reversing Brexit, it shows a positive step towards the United Kingdom engaging with Europe in a much more positive way than we have seen from the erstwhile former EU member state, but this may also be primarily due to the lack of an EU angle here.

“The prime minister is very clear that she wants to use this meeting to deliver concrete long-term action on priority issues for the United Kingdom”

According to a former U.K diplomat, “she couldn’t not go”, and it was more of a question of how she could sell this to the anti-European, anti-Macron Conservatives party. Therefore, as with everything geopolitical, this participation came with a heavy push for the next meeting to take place in London.

What results can we expect?

To begin with, when we look at the invitation list, it is made clear that we should not expect a formal written outcome at this summit. It does, however, give us a preliminary agenda that will tell us what we should expect them to talk about.

With a programme including “peace and security, the economic situation, energy and climate, and migration and mobility”, there is a very strong chance that talks with focus on the need to cooperate with one another, to find bridges to cross the diplomatic impasses caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the burgeoning conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the need to find ways to divest the EPC from Russian oil and other dependencies.

There will also likely be discussions on how the EPC members could better work to provide critical resources for one another, and how this grouping could be used to reinforce their needs and strategic autonomy.

We can expect something more concrete from the informal European Council meeting, where the goal is to prepare for the upcoming October summit, with discussions to focus on strengthening “measures to further increase pressure on Russia to end its war”, how to protect the EU’s critical infrastructure, and how to “guarantee security of supply and affordable energy for our households and businesses”.

Not only these, but we may even see preliminary discussions on additional measures to protect the EU from the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and see the beginnings of what may be further financial assistance to protect European citizens from high energy bills.

Can the EPC be Succesful?

This is the tricky question and is entirely dependent on how the development of the project goes.

There is every chance that this could be the key tool that will help Europe to unblock issues through the additional channels and diplomatic facilities that it creates, but its success will be entirely dependant on what the members put into the process and what form they allow it to take.

Will this be an addition to the European Union, as a form of an additional step in the accession process? Will this replace the European neighbourhood? Will this simply be a geopolitical tool that will allow all those involved to combine their powers and fight against the influence of China and Russia?

Speaking with Nima Hairy, President of the International Affairs and Economic Integration Committee of the Young MR Brussels Region, I asked him about whether he thought the project could be successful, and he had this to say:

“Any time new projects and initiatives related to the EU come around, we need to wait and see with a dash of optimism. As a convinced European, all options to further strengthen and sustain the European project and community have to be put on the table and actively explored - and if that means in the form of EPC, so be it.”

Clearly, even from pro-European political actors, there is a hesitation to expect too much from the process, even if there is genuine hope that this could become a tool that reinforces the European Union and the European continent regardless of the lack of concrete goal and applications right now.

I also spoke with Dr. Antonios Nestoras, the Interim Managing Director of the European Liberal Forum, the political foundation of the ALDE Party, who similarly sounded a note of caution:

“As much as everything else we do in this continent, the EPC can be successful if it can gather enough political support for a consensus. And that’s a big if. So it depends on how much Macron wants to invest in it from his own political capital.”

Ultimately, the success of this project will come down to how much support can be gathered from across the continent, particularly by French president Emmanuel Macron.

Currently, nobody knows what form this will take, but what we do know is that we can expect more news and information following the summit this Thursday.

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