On 6 October, the first meeting of the European Political Community – a new initiative incorporating both EU and non-EU states – was held in Prague, with further meetings due to be hosted by Moldova, Spain, and the UK. Derrick Wyatt writes...
that this trio of countries should form a host-nations working group to prepare agendas and proposals for forthcoming meetings. The goal should be for the Community to function more like a ‘regional United Nations’ than a forum for discussion or the EU-style body that its name implies.
Sometimes not failing is success, and that is how the recent launch
of the European Political Community (EPC) might be described. But
turning an inaugural event into a coalition that can make any impact
will require vision and organisation. The UK could offer both, and it
should do so because it badly needs to rebuild partnerships and
influence in Europe.
French President Emmanuel Macron first called for this new grouping
of states in 2019. No details were offered at the time. He is clearly
not superstitious: a European Political Community was launched in 1952 and failed in 1954.
Macron had his reasons for proposing the new organisation. One was to
give a voice to countries keen to join the EU but waiting, in their view
far too long, for the green light to come in. In the meantime, EU
institutional reform could take place, some national vetoes could be
abolished, and when enlargement came the EU would not be forever
deadlocked on one issue or another.
Another reason for proposing the EPC was to offer a consolatory
partnership to Turkey, which has spent years as a candidate for EU
Membership. Negotiations were suspended in 2018 because of its
deteriorating human rights record. And then there is the UK. Immediately
after concluding the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, as Brexit finally
dawned, the UK referred to better days ahead, and even to a ‘special relationship’.
UK internal politics and the Northern Ireland Protocol put that on
hold. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine made strained relations between the UK
and the EU and in particular France increasingly awkward and a UK role
in the EPC might encourage a reset.
President Macron offered more details of what he had in mind
for the EPC in a speech in May this year. The new organisation proposed
by Macron would, he argued, allow democratic European nations with
shared core values “to find a new space” for political and security
cooperation, cooperation in the energy sector, in transport,
investments, infrastructures, and the free movement of persons.
He added that joining it “would not prejudge future accession to the
European Union necessarily, and it would not be closed to those who have
left the EU.” In other words, EU candidates would be welcome, as would
the UK, despite having left the EU, and Turkey, which is unlikely ever
to join it. There was another theme too – Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine was referred to 15 times in Macron’s speech.
The invitation list to the Prague meeting included 17 non-EU-member
states. Total membership of the new club is drawn from member States of
the EU (27), plus the four EFTA States (which includes Norway and
Switzerland), plus EU aspirants, which now include Ukraine, plus Turkey
(technically still an EU candidate), plus the UK. The President of the
European Council and the President of the European Commission were also
invited. For the list of attendees see here.
This first meeting in Prague
on 6 October was held in advance of an informal meeting of the European
Council on 7 October. The President of the European Council, Charles
Michel, chaired this event. There was no formal written outcome of the
meeting and none had been envisaged.
The summit provided the occasion for an important meeting between
President Macron and UK Prime Minister Liz Truss, followed by a joint statement
which included an agreement to resume UK-France summits and hold the
next one in 2023 in France. They also agreed to deepen cooperation on
illegal migration “within the bounds of international law”. The
concluding words of their joint statement were that they “look forward
to next steps”.
The broad direction of those “next steps” emerged at the inaugural
meeting. According to the account of the proceedings published by the
European Council, the EPC aims to “strengthen the security, stability
and prosperity of the European continent”. The two issues which
dominated the leaders’ discussions in Prague were peace and security –
especially Russia’s war in Ukraine – and the energy crisis. These are as
much priorities for the UK as they are for most of the other leaders
who attended.
Opportunities for the UK
What ‘next steps’ will be taken remains unclear, and that provides an
opportunity for the UK to influence events, since it is scheduled to
host a meeting of the EPC in spring 2024, after Moldova in spring 2023,
and Spain in Autumn 2023.
The first step the UK could take would be to signal willingness to
form a host-nations working group, based on the ‘trios’ arrangement
which applies to the rotating six-month Presidency of the Council.
Under this latter arrangement the state holding the presidency works
together with its predecessor and successor. This trio sets long-term
goals and prepares a common agenda determining the topics and major
issues that will be addressed by the Council over an 18-month period.
Their plans are prepared in close cooperation with the Commission and
the President of the European Council....
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