The Prime Minister will host the European Political Community meeting (EPC) on 18 July 2024, bringing together around 50 leaders from across Europe.
The Prime Minister will host leaders from across Europe at the European Political Community meeting on Thursday 18 July.
• Gathering to bring together around 50 leaders from across the region to discuss shared challenges such as Ukraine and illegal migration.
• The leader-level meeting will be held at Blenheim Palace - the birthplace of Winston Churchill.
The Prime Minister will host the European Political Community meeting (EPC) on 18 July 2024, bringing together around 50 leaders from across Europe.
The EPC first met in October 2022, and this will be its fourth meeting. The meeting provides an important opportunity for countries across the continent to cooperate and discuss key issues.
Previous EPC summits have been instrumental in uniting Europe against Putin's aggression, forging cooperation in Europe on energy security and tackling immigration crime.
The UK-hosted meeting will come at an important moment in efforts to galvanise support for Ukraine as fighting is expected to intensify in the summer.
It will also focus on how to work together to grapple with the huge challenge of illegal migration across the continent, and other issues which countries may want to put on the agenda.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:
I am delighted that the UK will host the next European Political Community meeting at the historic Blenheim Palace. It is an important forum for cooperation across the whole of Europe on the issues that are affecting us all, threatening our security and prosperity.
From putting our full support behind Ukraine to stopping the scourge of people smuggling and illegal migration, under the UK's leadership the meeting will bring together our European friends, partners, and neighbours to address our shared challenges.
The meeting will be held at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire - a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the birthplace and ancestral home of former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill who played such a central role in standing up to aggression and tyranny in Europe. During the Second World War, Blenheim Palace was used by MI5 after their headquarters was damaged in the Blitz.
The flexibility of the EPC format allows for progress on discussions which effect the continent as a whole, but also time for bilateral discussions or for groups of states to meet. The UK will support that flexibility and will be consulting with partners on their requirements in the coming period.
At the last meeting in Granada, the UK led discussions on AI and illegal migration. In Moldova, the focus was on supporting the host country in the face of Russian hybrid threats, as well building energy resilience. While at the first EPC meeting in Prague, talks centred around Putin's invasion of Ukraine and the need for Europe to stand united against his aggression.