The sixth summit of the European Political Community (EPC) began in Albania on Friday. A total of 47 heads of state and government, as well as representatives of EU institutions, are participating in the summit in the capital Tirana.
The agenda focuses primarily on security issues, with the forum’s organisers citing support for Kyiv and strengthening the armed forces of Europe as key priorities. In addition, the round table will raise issues of migration and “the challenges of retaining talent in national economies.”
The summit will also discuss the economy, in particular the preservation of reliable supply chains and the strengthening of energy infrastructure. The energy crisis was one of the reasons for the creation of the EPC platform in 2022. It is an informal platform for coordinating European policy.
In addition to the EU countries, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and Moldova are also participating in the EPC events. The summit’s agenda, and indeed the status of the EPC as a kind of club, allows for bilateral meetings to be held. According to media reports, talks were held “on the sidelines” between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
This is the first time the summit has been held in the Western Balkans. Previous EPC summits were held in the Czech Republic, Moldova, Spain, the United Kingdom and Hungary.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, whose party recently won the country’s parliamentary elections, knelt on the red carpet as he greeted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Tirana and Rome have previously signed an agreement to establish migration centres in Albania to house illegal migrants.
Albania’s role as a host country reflects the country’s desire to deepen ties with Europe and its growing contribution to regional and continental stability,” the forum organisers said. Albania has been a candidate for EU membership since 2014, but formal accession talks only began in the summer of 2022.
