“France will keep a close eye on it and keep contributing to shaping its agenda,” she added.īut while no one involved in the process knows whether the format will be a success in the long run or how it could develop, it does show a critical pivot towards Wider Europe.Īspiring EU countries, fearing the format could end up as a substitute for enlargement, might for now be reassured considering the prominent non-EU emphasis.ĮU hopefuls, particularly the Western Balkans as well as Ukraine and Moldova, have made it clear from the beginning that they aim to join the EU as soon as possible and will not settle to remain in a void between EU membership and the new EPC. “President Macron considers the EPC as part of his legacy, he will keep pushing the European sovereignty throughout his second term, and it is a way to give it tangibility,” Tara Varma, head of ECFR’s Paris office, told EURACTIV.Īsked whether Macron might have risked creating a forum that would soon develop a life of its own, Varma said it is in the French interest for the EPC to become a new European platform. Macron has navigated smartly throughout the gathering, pushing diplomatic progress here and there but keeping the ball low enough not to crowd the front row. Those that feared French dominance were left surprised. The idea draws from a long-held vision in Paris of Europe playing an independent role in global affairs, separate from allies in Washington and potential foes like Russia and China. “It’s about the heads of state and government talking to each other.”Ī brainchild of President Emmanuel Macron, France had hoped the forum would be a chance to start a strategic conversation across the region, something he said was lacking in the past. “It’s not about creating a new institution with administration, bureaucracy and lots of people who do preparation and follow-up,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters. Several leaders confirmed this wouldn’t happen. UK officials have said they do not want to see the European Political Community sprout institutional roots. While some see the new format as an opportunity to coordinate within Europe on other geopolitical issues beyond Ukraine, for others, such discussions at the wider European level are unwelcome. “In the long term, once there is the need to actually address certain policy issues, there could be the need for more structure, but under the current circumstances, the format is a good innovation, because leaders can meet in a very intimate way,” he said. “For the moment, the deliverable is to talk to one another, we cannot underestimate how important personal relationships at this level are,” Ricardo Borges de Castro, Head of Europe in the World, European Policy Centre, told EURACTIV. When more than 40 leaders met to launch the European Political Community (EPC) this week, they might have just found a promising consultation platform for conversation between all European states apart from Russia and its close ally Belarus.Īlthough leaders struggled to maintain a fully united front throughout the meeting, for diplomats, the presence of so many European countries was the main message.īut with the next three summits set and with such a broad cast of characters, questions still swirl around the platform’s future as it remains unclear how work will continue and whether EU members, making up most of the new club, will come to dominate proceedings in the long-run. In this week’s edition: Wider Europe on the plan, post-EUCO fallout, more sanctions. You can subscribe to receive our newsletter here. Office space roads meme update#Welcome to EURACTIV’s Global Europe Brief, your weekly update on the EU from a global perspective.
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