# 5th European Political Community Summit

The Fifth European Political Community Summit was a meeting of the European Political Community held on 7 November 2024 in Hungary.

## Aims

The invitation letter to the summit stated that:
"The leaders will discuss the main security challenges affecting Europe posed by ongoing conflicts, including Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the current escalation in the Middle East. During the breakout sessions, they will also hold discussions on migration and economic security, as well as connectivity related issues such as energy, transport, IT and global trade."

## Preparation

Hungary hosted the autumn summit of the European Political Community during its Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The date of the summit was announced by Charles Michel on 20 March 2024. An informal meeting of the European Council took place the following day.
The host for the preceding summit, the United Kingdom, had pledged to work with other EPC members to promote coherence across future EPC summits. To this end, the British ambassador in Budapest, Paul Fox, met with Hungarian Europe minister, János Bóka, on 25 March 2024. Following the fourth summit, a hosting quartet consisting of the United Kingdom, Hungary, Albania and Denmark was set up to further coordinate between summits.

## Schedule and agenda

The summit is scheduled to take place on 7 November 2024 at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary.
The schedule and agenda was as follows:
* 10.00: Arrivals and doorsteps
* 11.15: Opening session
* 12.15: Family photo
* 12.30: Breakout sessions
* 13:30: Opportunity for bilateral meetings and lunch
* 15.30: Reporting session
* 17:30: Press conference by the Prime Minister of Hungary and the Prime Minister of Albania
* 18:00: End of the meeting

## Participants
### Participating states and organisations

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.
Key :
* Non-EU member
| Member | Represented by | Title | Remarks |
| Albania | Edi Rama | Prime Minister | |
| Andorra | Xavier Espot Zamora | Prime Minister | |
| Armenia | Nikol Pashinyan | Prime Minister | |
| Austria | Karl Nehammer | Chancellor | |
| Azerbaijan | Ilham Aliyev | President | Absent |
| Belgium | Alexander De Croo | Prime Minister | |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Denis Bećirović | President | |
| Bulgaria | Rumen Radev | President | |
| Croatia | Andrej Plenković | Prime Minister | |
| Cyprus | Nikos Christodoulides | President | |
| Czech Republic | Petr Fiala | Prime Minister | |
| Denmark | Mette Frederiksen | Prime Minister | |
| Estonia | Kristen Michal | Prime Minister | |
| Finland | Petteri Orpo | Prime Minister | |
| France | Emmanuel Macron | President | |
| Georgia | Irakli Kobakhidze | Prime Minister | |
| Germany | Olaf Scholz | Chancellor | Withdrew due to the 2024 German government crisis |
| Greece | Kyriakos Mitsotakis | Prime Minister | |
| Hungary | Viktor Orbán | Prime Minister | Host |
| Iceland | Bjarni Benediktsson | Prime Minister | Withdrew in the wake of Iceland's ruling coalition being dissolved |
| Ireland | Simon Harris | Taoiseach | |
| Italy | Giorgia Meloni | Prime Minister | |
| Kosovo | Vjosa Osmani | President | |
| Latvia | Evika Siliņa | Prime Minister | |
| Liechtenstein | Daniel Risch | Prime Minister | |
| Lithuania | Gitanas Nausėda | President | |
| Luxembourg | Luc Frieden | Prime Minister | |
| Malta | Robert Abela | Prime Minister | |
| Moldova | Maia Sandu | President | |
| Monaco | Didier Guillaume | Prime Minister | |
| Montenegro | Jakov Milatović | President | |
| Netherlands | Dick Schoof | Prime Minister | |
| North Macedonia | Hristijan Mickoski | Prime Minister | |
| Norway | Jonas Gahr Støre | Prime Minister | |
| Poland | Donald Tusk | Prime Minister | |
| Portugal | Luís Montenegro | Prime Minister | |
| Romania | Klaus Iohannis | President | |
| San Marino | Luca Beccari | Secretary of State | |
| Serbia | Aleksandar Vučić | President | |
| Slovakia | Robert Fico | Prime Minister | |
| Slovenia | Robert Golob | Prime Minister | Withdrew for other engagements |
| Spain | Pedro Sánchez | Prime Minister | Withdrew due to the 2024 Spanish floods |
| Sweden | Ulf Kristersson | Prime Minister | |
| Switzerland | Viola Amherd | President | |
| Turkey | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | President | |
| Ukraine | Volodymyr Zelenskyy | President | |
| United Kingdom | Keir Starmer | Prime Minister | |
| European Union | Charles Michel Ursula von der Leyen Roberta Metsola | President of the European Council President of the European Commission President of the European Parliament | |
Source:

### Invited delegates

| Entity | Represented by | Title |
| North Atlantic Treaty Organization | Mark Rutte | Secretary General |
| Council of Europe | Alain Berset | Secretary General |
| OSCE | Kate Fearon | Deputy Head of the OSCE Secretariat Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre |

## Outcomes
### Armenia–Azerbaijan relations

On the sidelines of the summit, Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan participated in a meeting organized by Péter Szijjártó, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary. Mirzoyan discussed regional issues and presented the latest developments in the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including the border delimitation process between the two countries and efforts towards the conclusion of a peace treaty. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held several closed-door meetings with his counterparts regarding 'economic security'. Meanwhile, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev did not participate in the summit.

### Georgia

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated that he had discussed "all the important topics ranging from ongoing developments in the country to its European integration with European leaders." While Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili confirmed "the Government's strong commitment to European Union integration and its readiness to cooperate with all parties involved in the process."

### Kosovo–Serbia relations

During a press conference, President Vjosa Osmani clarified that she had no planned meeting with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, despite both being present at the event. She emphasized that the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia takes place in Brussels under the mediation of the European Union and that discussions on implementing agreements continue between the chief negotiators in this context.

### Moldova

A meeting of the Friends of Moldova Group was convened on the fringes of the summit. European leaders commended Moldovan president Maia Sandu's commitment to keeping the country on a European path and discussed ways to enhance cooperation to aid Moldova's economy and support reform efforts.

### Ukraine

During the summit, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated, "The bill for this war should be sent to the Russians, not to Ukraine. So that Russia can no longer advance its false claims to everyone around – from the Baltics to the Balkans. Any country, any leader who respects international law and sits at this table should understand that predators always demand more and more." While Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated, "The war launched by Russia against Ukraine is now in its third year, the Middle East is aflame and threatens to escalate, North Africa is embroiled in destabilizing conflict, illegal migration remains a persistent challenge and is nearing its previous peak, and the global economy is facing a level of fragmentation not seen since the Cold War."