The Fourth European Political Community Summit is a planned meeting of the European Political Community to be held on 18 July 2024 at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, United Kingdom.
| 4th European Political Community Summit | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Host country | United Kingdom |
| Date | 18 July 2024 |
| Venue(s) | Blenheim Palace |
| Cities | Woodstock |
| Chair | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom |
| Follows | 3rd |
| Precedes | 5th |
| Website | www.consilium.europa |
Aims edit
Following a bilateral summit meeting between the leaders of the United Kingdom and France on 10 March 2023, it was stated in the joint declaration that the EPC should focus on energy, infrastructures, connectivity, cybersecurity, countering disinformation and migration.[1][2]
On the eve of the second EPC summit which was held on 1 June 2023, British prime minister Rishi Sunak issued a statement saying "Stopping migration and securing our borders should be at the top of the agenda for European leaders."[3] Sunak had also caused controversy at the previous summit in Granada by demanding that the pre-arranged agenda be scrapped with the sole focus of the summit shifting to immigration.[4]
When announcing the date of the summit, the UK prime minister Rishi Sunak added that it would focus on supporting Ukraine during the ongoing Russian invasion, tackling people smuggling and reducing immigration.[5]
Preparation edit
The United Kingdom was announced as the host of the fourth EPC summit in October 2022.[6]
King Charles III mentioned the UK's hosting the EPC summit as part of his speech during the 2023 State Opening of Parliament.[7]
Preparations for the summit were discussed by the upper house of the UK Parliament on 12 December 2023. Tariq Ahmed, a minister in the UK foreign office stated that the UK views the EPC as an "important platform for co-ordination on European issues" adding that energy security, immigration and the Russian invasion of Ukraine would feature on the agenda.[8]
The summit was initially expected to take place in March or April, however by January 2024, several European diplomats believe the UK government's refusal to rule out a snap general election this spring lies behind "delays" to an upcoming meeting.[9] The UK Government has stated that it will announce a date "in due course".[10] On 14 March 2024, UK media reported that the summit is now planned to take place in July. This caused frustration among some of the Nordic countries who would already be on their summer holidays. Sunak aims for the summit to focus on immigration.[11] On 19 March 2024, the UK Government finally announced that the summit would take place on 18 July, and will be held at Blenheim Palace.[5]
In a letter from British foreign minister David Cameron, the UK government pledged to work with European partners to promote coherence across this and future EPC summits.[12] On 25 March 2024, British ambassador to Hungary, Paul Fox, met with Hungarian Europe minister, Bóka János, promising to promote coherence across EPC summits; Hungary is scheduled to host the following summit in November 2024.[13] UK prime minister Rishi Sunak discussed plans and preparations for the summit with French president Emmanuel Macron in a phone call on 8 April 2024, where he stated that defending Ukraine, progressing cooperation on artificial intelligence and joint efforts to tackle illegal immigration and organized crime would be part of its agenda.[14]
Schedule and agenda edit
The summit is scheduled to take place on 18 July 2024 at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock.[5]
Participants edit
Participating states and organizations edit
The summit is expected to be attended by the heads of state or government of the states participating in the European Political Community along with the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Parliament. The British government stated that "around 50" leaders would attend the UK EPC event.[15] Rishi Sunak invited NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to the UK's EPC summit during a meeting in Warsaw, on 23 April 2024.[16]
| Non-EU member |
Invited delegates edit
| Entity | Represented by | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
North Atlantic Treaty Organization | Jens Stoltenberg | Secretary General |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "UK-France Joint Leaders' Declaration". GOV.UK. 10 March 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ "Déclaration conjointe – 36ème Sommet franco-britannique". Élysée (in French). 10 March 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ "Prime Minister: The security of our borders must be Europe's top priority". GOV.UK. 31 May 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ Samuel, Henry; Barnes, Joe; Riley-Smith, Ben; Hymas, Charles (27 September 2023). "UK and Spain in row over Sunak demand for focus on illegal migration". The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ a b c Sunak, Rishi (19 March 2024). "UK to host European Political Community meeting in July 2024 at Blenheim Palace". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 19 March 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ "Informal meeting of heads of state or government, Prague, 6 October 2022". Council of the European Union. 8 September 2022. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ "The King's Speech 2023". GOV.UK. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ "European Political Community Summit". UK Parliament. 12 December 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ "EU diplomats blame possible UK spring election for summit delay". Financial Times. 22 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ "UK diplomat plays downs delays to naming date for major European summit". The Independent. 23 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Rishi Sunak rules out holding a general election in May". Financial Times. 14 March 2024. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ Ricketts, Peter [@LordRickettsP] (19 March 2024). "The UK is good at convening major conferences and getting useful outcomes from them. So it's excellent that Gov't will be hosting the 44-member European Political Community summit at Blenheim on 18 July. An important opportunity to sustain crucial European support for Ukraine" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 26 March 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ János, Bóka [@JanosBoka_HU] (25 March 2024). "Meeting w/ @PaulFox_FCDO preparation of the #EPC Summit scheduled for July in the UK and in November in Hungary" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 25 March 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Sunak, Rishi (8 April 2024). "PM call with President Macron of France: 8 April 2024". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ Blewett, Sam; Bloom, Dan (19 March 2024). "UK at last confirms European Political Community summit date". Politico. Archived from the original on 19 March 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ Sunak, Rishi (23 April 2024). "PM meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg: 23 April". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.