European Political Community: a new political platform to face global challenges

The European Political Community "is a new political platform, an extended forum to explore the potential of convergence on a continental scale, with a view to overcoming joint challenges", claimed Prime Minister António Costa upon arrival at the first summit of the new platform in Prague, Czechia.

"It would be very important for this format to succeed, seeing that most of the global problems we face – the war in Ukraine, climate change, the energy crisis – require global responses that are as encompassing as possible", the Prime Minister added.

The meeting "is not about drawing conclusions or practical outcomes", rather "this is an extended forum" to "try to combine policies that must be convergent, with a view to overcoming together a global crisis", António Costa remarked.

44 countries

Forty-four Heads of State and Government met in Prague and decided that the European Political Community is to meet twice a year, alternately in one of the 27 EU member states and one of the 17 non-EU member countries. The next summit is scheduled to be held in Moldova in the first half of 2023.

The summit began with a plenary session attended by 44 European Heads of State and Government, during which only a few Heads spoke, followed by four round tables for discussions on peace and security, the economic situation, energy and climate, and migration and mobility. The Prime Minister participated in the round table on energy and economy.

After the round tables, bilateral meetings were held between the Heads. Lastly, a second plenary session was held, during a working dinner. The adoption of any formal conclusion was not envisaged. 

In addition to the 27 EU Member States, six Western Balkan countries attended (Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro), the three countries that have recently applied to join the EU (Georgia, Moldovia, Ukraine), Armenia, Azerbaijan, the four European Free Trade Association countries (Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein), the United Kingdom and Turkey.

The Prime Minister will remain in Prague for the EU informal summit.