BUDAPEST – Hungary hosted the fifth summit of the European Political Community yesterday, attended by 47 heads of state and government. Key topics at the gathering included European security, the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as the results of the U.S. presidential election.
French President Emmanuel Macron stated at the summit in Budapest that a Europe that is defensive and capable of ensuring its own security must be built. According to him, Europe must play an important role in the NATO alliance.
“We cannot leave our security to the Americans. Whether you are a member or not, we must ensure that we have European preferences in our industrial production and that we maintain security in our countries, to the south, east, and west,” Macron said.
I have no intention of leaving Europe as a stage inhabited by herbivores, only for carnivores to come and devour according to their agenda.
As Europeans, we must be clear-sighted, ambitious, and determined about our own agenda—an agenda of sovereignty. pic.twitter.com/nxTHykcnA8
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) November 7, 2024
He added that European countries must ensure the protection of their democracies and democratic rules. “Our model of liberal democracy is something that other powers will want to exploit,” Macron said, mentioning cyber attacks and disinformation as challenges, also in the Western Balkans region.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that the European Political Community must be a place to discuss geopolitical issues. Besides Orbán, who opened the summit, other speakers included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić (in a session on economic security).
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen told Radio Television of Serbia that Brussels has a clear plan for the Western Balkans.
“We want the Western Balkans in the European Union. We have a clear agenda for that, and the accession process is underway,” said Ursula von der Leyen, adding that it is important for the EU and the region’s states to work together on economic growth.
“The European Union should open the doors of its single market, and the Western Balkans must carry out the necessary reforms, after which we will have additional EU investments in the region,” added the President of the European Commission.
Regarding the Western Balkans, European Council President Charles Michel said that the countries of the region know what they need to do in the accession process, pointing to reforms in the areas of anti-corruption efforts and the rule of law.
Albania to host EPC Summit in spring 2025
At the end of the summit, the Hungarian Prime Minister held a joint press conference with his Albanian colleague Edi Rama, who will host the next EPC Summit in Tirana, scheduled for May 2025.
Orbán pointed out that no formal decisions were taken at the meeting and that there were “a good number” of differing opinions, but there was a consensus on the need to respond to the US election results, as well on the need for peace in Europe as soon as possible, and for Europe to take greater responsibility for its own peace and security in the future.
“It is now clear that the pro-peace camp is growing, and with the US election the pro-peace camp has grown enormously… But we cannot expect the Americans to be the only ones to protect us”, Orbán claimed.
According to Orbán, “history has clearly accelerated, a chapter has been closed with the U.S. elections, and the world will change faster than we think”.
The world is a different place since this Tuesday. Europe needs to face the new reality. We must restore peace, stop illegal migration and revitalize the European economy. The time to act is now! #EPCBudapest pic.twitter.com/ybSoM72jDN
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) November 7, 2024
He added he did not believe that the illegal migration could be stopped “if we did not rebel against the laws and court rulings currently in force”.
Edi Rama underlined that it would be a huge privilege to work as a team to ensure that the next ECP meeting in Tirana “is just as successful as this one”.
“I must tell you that, until not too many years ago, such dialogue with the EU was unimaginable. There are several reasons one can count for that, and naturally, Vladimir Putin is one of them because he gave the European Union a wake-up call. However, I must say that this forum, together with what is happening with the European Commission and the New Growth Plan through gradual integration, is very encouraging”, Rama said.
Albanian Prime Minister underlined that he remained “tragically optimistic about the future- about the future of Albania, a country whose place is undoubtedly in Europe”.
“We will fight every day, and now a new path has opened up for us, thanks to the Hungarian presidency, which has pushed things forward strongly. We are now in membership negotiations and hope to be ready to join within this decade, alongside the other Western Balkan countries”, Rama concluded.