Hungary to Host the next European Political Community Summit

The next European Political Community (EPC) Summit will be hosted by Hungary, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced at the closing press conference of the EPC Summit in England on Thursday.

The one-day EPC Summit, which took place at Blenheim Palace, the former home of the late British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, was attended by leader from 46 countries and focused on two main topics: further support for Ukraine and joint action against illegal immigration. Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, Sir Starmer said there was a consensus that illegal immigration should be tackled at source. To this end, London is launching an GBP 84 million (EUR 100 million) humanitarian program in Africa and the Middle East.

The British Prime Minister also announced that

the next EPC summits will be held in Hungary this year and in Albania and Denmark next year.

Speaking about Thursday’s EPC Summit, Starmer said: “Our security starts in Ukraine.” In light of this, he noted, the EPC Summit participants pledged to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was present at the event, that they would continue to support Ukraine as long as it needs it. The British Prime Minister also informed the journalists at the press conference after the summit that there was  a consensus at the event that the fight against illegal immigration should focus on people smugglers.

As reported by Hungary Today, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, arriving at the summit on Thursday, said that

the essence of our concept, which differs from the official concept, is that the European Union should not copy the foreign policy of the American Democrats but should have its own European approach in the spirit of strategic autonomy.”

He also voiced his skepticism about the effectiveness of military solutions to the conflict, stressing the need for negotiation: “Every day we are losing thousands of innocent people, and human life is the most precious thing, so we have to stop this.” “The solution cannot be found on the battlefield but at the negotiating table,” he concluded.

#EPCSummit in Blenheim.

Thousands and thousands are dying on the battlefield every day. We will find no #peace on the battlefield, but only at the negotiating table. My goal is to convince European leaders to make a shift to a pro-peace policy. pic.twitter.com/AG46FPCvmG

— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) July 18, 2024

Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Benko Vivien Cher