Amid war, Europe forms European Political Community

Ode of Joy

Prague- The inaugural meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) took place in Prague this week. The community consists of 44 countries including 27 EU members states, the UK, Turkey, Ukraine, the six countries of the Western Balkans, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, as well as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova. Russia was not invited to the gathering at Prague Castle along with Belarus, its neighbor and supporter in the war against Ukraine.
 

According to Steven Blockmans, director of research at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), the formation of this community shows "Russia and Belarus that the rest of Europe is basically uniting in defence of that European security order," Euronews reported.

The European Political Community has been formed with the aim to foster political dialogue and cooperation to address issues of common interest, strengthen the security, stability and prosperity of the European continent.

Creating the EPC was first suggested by French President Emmanuel Macron in May, when he called for a new political organization to unite democracies – both inside and outside of the EU – on the European continent. Speaking two days after being sworn in for a second term as French president, Macron called for “big thinking” on the future of Europe, saying the war in Ukraine showed the need for a “historic process of reflection”.

“The war in Ukraine and the legitimate aspiration of its people, just like that of Moldova and Georgia, to join the European Union, encourages us to rethink our geography and the organization of our continent,” said Macron.

The new format has been dubbed a “United Nations in Europe” by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda.