At the meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) in Budapest on 7 November, 42 European leaders discussed the security challenges facing the continent, including the escalation of Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine.
On his arrival at this fifth meeting of the EPC, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once again asked for European support and denounced the latest developments in the conflict. In particular, he discussed the recent deployment of North Korean troops in Russia (see EUROPE 13518/16). “North Korea is now, in effect, waging war in Europe. North Korean soldiers are attempting to kill our people on European soil”, he warned.
Mr Zelensky reacted to the suggestion by some that Ukraine should make “concessions” to Vladimir Putin. A suggestion advocated in particular by the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán.
In Mr Orbán’s view, positions have evolved on the outcome of the war in Ukraine, especially since the re-election of Donald Trump in the United States. “There are always differing opinions on whether the war should continue or whether there should be a ceasefire, but one thing is clear: there are more and more people who want peace”, the Hungarian Prime Minister told the press.
For him, the peace process must start with a ceasefire, followed by peace negotiations. “The precondition for peace is communication, and the precondition for communication is a ceasefire. This gives us time to negotiate. Stop killing each other, that’s my recommendation. And then negotiate”, he said. And he insisted on the fact that, in his opinion, Europeans went to war without having a clear definition of what victory means.
A vision far from shared by Volodymyr Zelensky. “It’s unacceptable for Ukraine and suicidal for the whole of Europe. And what’s next? Should Europe seek the favour of Kim Jong Un in hopes that he, too, will leave Europe in peace?”
Concerning Mr Putin, the Ukrainian President, in a thinly concealed gesture, thumbed his nose at Mr Orbán , who was chairing the EPC meeting. “Some of you have been hugging him for 20 years, and things are only getting worse”, he said.
At a press conference, the Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, who will be hosting the next EPC in Tirana in 2025, even described Mr Orbán, who was at the podium with him, as the “black sheep of Europe”, saying he was surprised, not without derision, to see “Europe meeting in the black sheep’s barn”.
He acknowledged that the EPC format made it possible to confront very divergent opinions “in a much freer way”, and even to tackle “dangerous” subjects, such as how to end the war in Ukraine.
Migration
In addition to a plenary session devoted to security challenges, the day’s discussions were divided into thematic round tables on migration, economic security and connectivity. After these targeted discussions, very little was said by the leaders.
For Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, chairing the round tables on migration with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the EPC meeting is a unique opportunity to discuss migration issues, as it brings together more countries than the EU and therefore offers “many opportunities to forge new alliances”.
On this point, Viktor Orbán said that there was a new “impetus” in Europe. “With this debate, we may be able to take a step forward towards tangible results”, he said.
At a press conference following the discussions, the Hungarian leader expanded on his vision of the migratory challenges facing Europe.
In particular, he said that he was the only Prime Minister to have overcome the migration crisis of 2015, and that it was now time to rebel against “this bureaucratic jungle-like collection of regulations” within the European Union and to “protect our borders”.
Economic security
The round tables on economic security and connectivity were chaired by the Norwegian Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, and the Latvian Prime Minister, Evika Siliņa, replacing the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz. He was unable to attend due to the political crisis in his country following the dismissal of Finance Minister Christian Lindner.
On this point, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stressed the need to hold these exchanges in order to tackle “our own dependencies” and create “greater equity for our economies and businesses”.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal argued that Europe needed to be more resilient, particularly when it came to energy. “We are continuing to spend more than €30 billion on Russian energy, which is not wise”, he said.
On Thursday evening, at the time of going to press, the EU27 were meeting for an informal dinner to discuss the US elections and Georgia. They will meet again this Friday for an informal meeting focusing on European competitiveness, in the presence of former ECB President Mario Draghi. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal and Pauline Denys)