On Thursday, during the second summit of the European Political Community (EPC), leaders of the European Union and non-EU states expressed their hope to tackle current challenges beyond the EU framework.
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Noting that “this was the first EPC meeting to be held in a non-EU country,” Moldovan President Maia Sandu said at the end of the summit that participants agreed to continue efforts to further integrate through greater strategic coordination, better connectivity, and more common actions on energy and climate resilience.
Based on the success of the first meeting in Prague, the EPC was a unique opportunity to engage and improve bilateral relations, Sandu said.
Compared to the previous edition in Prague, the second summit in Moldova attracted slightly more participants, bringing together around 50 European leaders. The “EU+” meeting of the EPC has once again received the applause of many leaders.
Calling the summit a “powerful symbol”, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, said at the summit that the participating countries have a common political will to coordinate and cooperate in the field of energy, security and infrastructures
More than half a year after its creation, the platform has shown that it has the influence to bring together important decision-makers and the potential to discuss the pressing issues facing Europe.
During the summit, the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia held talks after the protest clashes. Kosovo Serbs boycotted April 23 local elections in four municipalities in northern Kosovo, which allowed ethnic Albanian parties to take control of local administrations despite a turnout of less than 3.5 percent .
“Everyone must try to avoid any kind of escalation and uncoordinated movements,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told the summit.
As part of the EPC’s efforts to calm regional tensions, French and German leaders urged Kosovo to hold new elections in the disputed regions.
Sunak is at the Summit of the European Political Community in Moldova.
Sunak wants to focus on a return deal for Moldovans who enter the UK illegally.
The point is that only 3 Moldovan nationals arrived illegally in the UK after crossing the channel last year ��♂️
— Roger Teague (@TeagueRoger)
June 2, 2023
As the brainchild of French President Emmanuel Macron, the EPC aims to boost political coordination in Europe without replacing any existing organization, structure or process. However, experts have expressed concern that this goal may be in jeopardy in the long term.
“Unless heads of state and government continue to show genuine interest, after the first meetings it will become just a summit of foreign ministers,” said a recent analysis by the Center for European Policy Analysis, a think tank based in Washington.
EPC skeptics see the platform as an alternative to EU membership, having expressed concerns that the EPC could slow the pace of new members entering the bloc.
However, Moldova sees the biggest political event it has ever hosted as an opportunity. Granted EU candidate status in June 2022, it hopes to use the event to further progress towards becoming an official member of the bloc.
“Our commitment is to prepare Moldova for EU accession at the end of this decade,” Sandu said on Thursday, noting that he would urge EU leaders to support the plan.
