The European Political Community (EPC) is an informal forum for European heads of state and government to discuss political and strategic issues of shared concern. It was launched in 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It also created an opportunity for the UK to take part in discussions about the direction of the continent after it left the EU in 2020.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is attending for the first time, alongside Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who is representing Switzerland as host of the tenth EPC summit, set to take place in Zurich in April 2027.
An EU official told Euronews that Carney’s presence “symbolises how close Canada wants to be in relation to security.”
This year’s theme is “Europe – strong, secure and connected,” focusing on strengthening competitiveness through energy security and connectivity.
The EPC summit precedes an informal gathering of EU leaders, which is expected to be tense after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni last week sent a strongly worded letter to European Council President António Costa about the lack of cohesion among European countries over the Ukraine war.
Meloni questioned who speaks for Europe in the Ukraine war and criticised efforts by Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who held a 90-minute call with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month.
Meloni told Costa that Europe appears “all over the place” on Ukraine and called for the issue to be a priority at Friday’s summit.
She pointed to previous meetings in Miami and upcoming talks by the Coalition of the Willing, saying the many voices and venues “undermine our credibility in handling one of the most complicated issues our nations are facing” — Euronews reports.
