Meeting of leaders from all over Europe in Granada

Heads of state and government from across Europe will gather in Granada, Spain, on Thursday for the third meeting of the European Political Community. According to the Spanish presidency, the objective is to make Europe “more resilient, prosperous and geostrategic”. Around 45 heads of state and government, as well as heads of EU institutions, are expected in Grenada. Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) had to cancel his participation at short notice due to illness.

The meeting takes place ahead of Friday’s informal European Council. There are currently no plans for joint political decisions by the European Political Community. This had not happened in the last meetings in this format either. Following a joint plenary session, participants will break into workshop-like meetings to discuss ways to strengthen security, stability and prosperity in Europe.

The format of the European Political Community goes back to an idea by French President Emmanuel Macron. The founding summit took place against the backdrop of the Russian attack on Ukraine, in October 2022, in Prague, with 44 states at the time. Apart from a few small city-states, Russia and Belarus are the only states on the European continent that were not invited. The second meeting took place in June 2023 at Mimi Castle, a winery in Moldova, near the Ukrainian border. Moldova itself is exposed to attacks from Russia. The plan is to hold two summits per year.