The 47 leaders of the European Political Community (EPC) are meeting in Budapest on Thursday 7 November for a fifth meeting devoted to in-depth discussions on the security of the European continent, including the war in Ukraine and the escalating conflict in the Middle East, as well as issues relating to migration and economic security.
Although the holding of this meeting has been called into question on several occasions, as it did not result in any concrete measures on the part of the leaders of the whole of the European continent, a diplomatic source nevertheless acknowledges the added value of this high-level meeting, which lies in the informal nature of the exchanges, in the form of round tables, but also bilateral meetings.
Pan-European format. Furthermore, in the source’s view, while the 27 leaders of the European Union meet on a regular basis, there are few “pan-European formats” like this one, apart from those of NATO and the United Nations, which enable all the members of the European Political Community to meet.
The EU will be represented at the meeting by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.
According to our information, bilateral discussions could take place with the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, and the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, particularly on issues relating to the customs union.
It should be noted that the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, will not be present, as announced via social network X, due to the devastating floods in his country.
Migration challenges. The leaders present will take part in an opening plenary session devoted to security challenges, followed by four thematic round tables on the subjects of migration and economic security. A closing plenary session will report on the results of the round tables (see EUROPE 13516/19).
For another European diplomat, the subject of “illegal migration” is particularly important to raise in this multilateral context, as it is not just “a European Union issue”.
The first meeting of the EPC was held in Prague in 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the aim of bringing together the countries of the continent and strengthening their security and stability.
Support for Ukraine under the Hungarian Presidency. According to the same diplomatic source, the commitment to Ukraine remains strong. However, the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, host of this EPC meeting, has come under constant criticism for his stance on support for Ukraine, particularly since his ‘mission for peace’ initiative, which included a visit to Moscow at the start of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU (see EUROPE 13453/8).
If Mr Orbán takes another wrong step or deviates again from the EU’s course of action, another European diplomatic source did not hesitate to say that the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and other leaders would be ready to raise their voices and clarify the EU’s position publicly.
Victory for Donald Trump. Finally, the US elections, won the day before by former US President Donald Trump, could intrude in the background and influence the informal discussions at the EPC. However, they will be discussed in greater depth at the dinner of the EU Heads of State or Government that evening (see other news). (Original version in French by Pauline Denys with Léa Marchal and Anne Damiani)