Chatham House's Europe programme hosted representatives from the European Political Community in June, in advance of July's summit.
As part of preparations for the European Political Community (EPC) summit held on 18 July at Blenheim Palace, representatives from EPC governments and policy experts from the think tank community gathered at Chatham House on 25 June to participate in a preparatory seminar on irregular migration.
The event was organized by Chatham House's Europe Programme working with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). It was one of three preparatory seminars convened ahead of the EPC summit, serving as a dialogue between EPC government representatives and the expert think tank community, providing insight and expertise to underpin the discussions that leaders have in the EPC.
The seminar helped build consensus on the challenges governments face when addressing irregular migration, one of the items on the EPC agenda, identifying important areas of alignment to enable further progress at the UK summit.
Armida van Rij, Senior Research Fellow at the Chatham House's Europe Programme said:
“One of Chatham House's core tasks is to convene stakeholders around important issues, even when they are politically sensitive.
“I am delighted that the Chatham House Europe Programme could collaborate with the FCDO, with support from the Middle East and North Africa Programme, to contribute and provide constructive challenge to the discussion of irregular migration at the EPC, a key issue for many European leaders, working at the intersection of policymaking and think tank expertise.”