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The European Political Community (EPC) meets on 18 July for the fourth time. Hosted by the UK at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill, echoes of his ‘blood, toil, tears and sweat’ speech in May 1940 cannot be ignored. Facing an existential battle on the continent, Keir Starmer, the UK’s freshly elected prime minister, will have a baptism of fire at the first major international gathering he’ll host.
Due to the EPC’s origins and aims – namely to show a united front against Russia and provide a forum for strategic intimacy amongst leaders of 47 European countries (plus the EU) on equal footing – the format is a high-stakes gamble in diplomacy.
The previous underwhelming summit in Spain was boycotted by Türkiye’s strongman Erdoğan and his Azeri counterpart Aliyev, and even the photo-op was mishandled. The UK must get this summit right to keep the EPC on track.
This EPC summit, which follows on from leaders’ meetings in the context of the G7, the Peace Conference in Switzerland, the European Council, and the NATO Washington Summit, presents a chance to prolong the international chorus in support of Ukraine. Having committed to the agreed agenda for the EPC summit, the new UK leader has the unique opportunity to use the platform to channel his inner Churchill. He should seize it to deliver the most evocative of rebukes of Russia’s unjustified war of aggression, and indeed a vision for a peaceful and secure continent.
While keeping its informal nature, there is consensus across participants that the EPC must go beyond support for Ukraine. It must harness the interest of leaders to tackle other strategic issues with a pan-European dimension, subsequently brought forward by relevant ministries and international bodies.
Two examples from previous EPC summits point the way. One is the UK’s efforts to expand partnerships on trafficking in human beings, with its eight-point plan agreed with Italy, the Netherlands, France, Albania, and the European Commission. Another is France’s initiative to relaunch energy cooperation with Spain and Portugal, leading to establishment of the H2MED project for an undersea hydrogen pipeline.
Following past practice, the UK will host three roundtable discussions for which leaders can sign up: on boosting energy connectivity, managing migration, and tackling foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI). As part of our EPC Observatory, we have co-organised preparatory meetings with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), as well as an event with the UK Mission to the EU. Our meetings with FCDO brought key government representatives (sherpas and diplomats) and policy experts together to gather ideas, opinions and expectations. The meetings resulted in guiding questions for the roundtable discussions at the upcoming summit ...
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