| 3rd European Political Community Summit | |
|---|---|
 | |
.jpg) Family photo withKing Felipe VI and Queen Letizia at theCourt of the Lions. | |
| Host country | Spain |
| Date | 5 October 2023 |
| Cities | Granada |
| Venues | Granada Conference Centre [es] Alhambra |
| Participants | 45 states |
| Chair | Pedro Sánchez,Prime Minister of Spain |
| Follows | 2nd |
| Precedes | 4th |
| Website | 3rd European Political Community Summit |
TheThird European Political Community Summit was ameeting of theEuropean Political Community held on 5 October 2023 at theGranada Conference Centre [es] inGranada,Spain.[1][2][3]
As had been announced by the host,Spain, the main focus of the summit was intended to be on "the current conflicts affecting the continent, the aim being to take advantage of the attendance of most European leaders to re-establish their unity vis-à-visRussia's aggression against Ukraine".[4]
Spain had been announced as the host of the third EPC summit in October 2022.[5] The date and the venue for the summit were announced in February 2023.[6]
An informal meeting of theEuropean Council took place the following day at the same venue.[7]
The summit took place on 5 October 2023 at theGranada Conference Centre [es] and was structured as follows (CEST):[4][8]
In the evening,KingFelipe VI and QueenLetizia welcomed the summit attendees and their companions at theAlhambra'sCourt of the Lions where the official group photo was taken. Afterwards, guests walked to the nearbyPartal gardens to attend a flamenco performance and to theParador where the closing dinner took place.
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The summit was attended by heads of state or government of the states participating in the European Political Community along with thePresident of the European Council, thePresident of the European Commission and thePresident of the European Parliament.[9] On the eve of the summit, Turkish presidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan announced he would not be able to attend due to an illness.[10] Azerbaijani presidentIlham Aliyev did not attend due to a perceived "anti-Azerbaijan atmosphere" following the recentAzerbaijani military offensive inNagorno-Karabakh.[11]Belarusianopposition leaderSviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was invited to attend by the Spanish government.[12]
| Absent |
| Entity | Represented by | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus | Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya | Head |
A meeting betweenArmenian Prime MinisterNikol Pashinyan andAzerbaijani PresidentIlham Aliyev was scheduled be held at the summit as was the case at the two previous summits.[13] This was expected to be the first meeting between the two following the2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh and resultingflight of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians.[14] However, on the eve of the summit, Aliyev announced that he would not attend due to what he described as an "anti-Azerbaijani atmosphere".[15][11] Pashinyan had hoped to present a potential peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan at the meeting.[16] A spokesperson for the Azerbaijani leadership indicated that Aliyev was willing to meet with Pashinyan in Brussels in the near future to resume dialogue.[17] In Aliyev's absence, a meeting between Pashinyan and European Council president Charles Michel, French president Emmanuel Macron, and German chancellor Olaf Scholz took place instead.[18][19] During a meeting between Ursula von der Leyen and Nikol Pashinyan, von der Leyen stated "We reiterated our condemnation of the military operation by Azerbaijan against the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh and reaffirmed the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia. Armenia and the EU are bound by shared political values and their commitment to a rules-based international order. In these difficult times, the EU and Armenia stand shoulder to shoulder. We are committed to further strengthenEU-Armenia relations". President von der Leyen also informed of the preparations for a joint EU-US event to support Armenia.[20]
Following the summit, it was announced that the EU would host a meeting between Pashinyan and Aliyev before the end of October 2023.[21]
Belarusianopposition leaderSviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was invited to attend the summit by the Spanish government.[12] Tsikhanouskaya held bilateral meetings with the leaders ofArmenia,[22] theCzech Republic,[23]Latvia,[24]Spain,[25] and withJosep Borrell, theHigh Representative of the European Union'sCommon Foreign and Security Policy.[26]
France proposed that access to theEuropean Cybersecurity Competence Centre's Cybersecurity Emergency Fund should be available to all EPC participating states.[27] France signed an agreement with the governments ofMontenegro andSlovenia to establish a joint cyber resilience capacity-building training institute to be based in Montenegro.[27]
Michel and Von der Leyen praised Europe's joint efforts in energy security. EU member states together withNorway,Ukraine,Moldova andSerbia agreed to work together within the EU Energy Platform to improve energy efficiency and further harness renewable sources of energy.[28]
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez stressed the importance of maintaining unity across the continent. Josep Borrell said he was optimistic about the European Commission granting EU candidate status toGeorgia.[29] The leaders ofHungary,[30] andLithuania stressed the importance of Georgia's accession for regional stability.[31] Coinciding with the summit, theEuropean Parliament urged that EU accession talks withMoldova should open before the end of the year.[32]
Given the strained relations between Kosovo and Serbia, stemming from theBanjska attack, it is anticipated that the tense dynamic between the two nations will be a prominent subject of discussion. European leaders are endeavoring to facilitate a meeting between thePresident of Serbia,Aleksandar Vučić, and thePresident of Kosovo,Vjosa Osmani.[33]ChancellorOlaf Scholz affirmed that the heightened tensions between the two states will also be addressed on Thursday and Friday during the summit scheduled to take place in Granada.[34] President Osmani has declined a meeting with the President of Serbia, asserting that sanctions against Serbia must precede any further dialogue.[35]
The leaders ofItaly, theUnited Kingdom, TheNetherlands,France,Albania, and theEuropean Commission held a meeting about migration on the fringes of the summit. In a statement released afterwards, they pledged to take action to tackle human trafficking by strengthening external borders to prevent unauthorized crossings, increase patrols and search and rescue operations, harmonize criminal legislation to fight against people smugglers and support sustainable development through education, job creation and climate action to help reduce migration.[36]
France stated its intention to push for the expansion of the"DiscoverEU" youth mobility scheme to be expanded to include all EPC participating states.[27]
Rishi Sunak's behavior
United Kingdom prime ministerRishi Sunak caused controversy a few days before the summit by insisting that the agreed agenda be scrapped and the sole focus be migration.[37] After failing to get the scheduled agenda scrapped, Sunak co-hosted a fringe meeting on migration withItalian prime ministerGiorgia Meloni.[38][19] Sunak caused further controversy by refusing to participate in the summit's closing press conference, resulting in it being cancelled.[39] He also snubbed the Spanish Royal family by refusing to attend the post summit banquet hosted by KingFelipe VI of Spain, a second cousin once removed of KingCharles III of the United Kingdom.[40]
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