Today, the sixth summit of the European Political Community (EPC) will take place in the Albanian capital Tirana.

The platform was launched in 2022 to strengthen political dialogue between EU states and other European countries, particularly in the areas of security, energy supply, and migration. The aim is to enable strategic cooperation beyond the borders of the European Union.

According to Deutschlandfunk, almost 50 heads of state and government will attend the meeting, including representatives of all 27 EU member states and 20 other European countries, such as those from the Western Balkans, the Caucasus, and Scandinavia.

A key topic at the summit is support for Ukraine in light of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also expected in Tirana. Observers assume that he will once again call for a unified European stance at the meeting.

According to Deutschlandfunk, European security policy will also be at the center of the talks, particularly in view of political developments in the US. Discussions on Europe’s military independence and strategic autonomy are likely to become even more heated given the possibility of Donald Trump returning to the White House.

Albania, which is hosting the summit for the first time, is thus moving further into the center of European diplomacy. The meeting is seen not only as a foreign policy signal to the Western Balkans, but also as an expression of the EU’s commitment to political integration that is not only institutional but also dialogue-oriented.

The European Political Community has set itself the goal of holding two summits per year in the future, alternating between EU and non-EU countries. The next EPC summit is planned for fall 2025.