European leaders discuss ‘arc of conflict’ at summit
Illegal migration and energy will also be discussed in the European Political Community meeting near London
Prime Minister Keir Starmer
Daily TribuneIllegal migration and energy will also be discussed in the European Political Community meeting near London
Prime Minister Keir Starmer
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The “arc of conflict and instability” threatening Europe’s borders will be the focus of the upcoming European Political Community (EPC) meeting near London, the UK’s new government said on Saturday.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose Labor Party won a thumping majority in the 4 July general election, will welcome more than 45 European leaders to Blenheim Palace, west of London, on Thursday.
He will also meet with Irish leader Simon Harris and French President Emmanuel Macron outside of the summit, as his new government “looks to rebuild relationships with key European partners.”
The summit will address “some of the most pressing generational issues” facing the continent, Starmer’s government said in a press release.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe will be in attendance for the first time at an EPC meeting, “demonstrating the importance of unity in response to the arc of conflict and instability inside and near Europe’s borders,” Labor added.
Starmer warned that “Europe is at the forefront of some of the greatest challenges of our time,” highlighting “Russia’s barbaric war” that “continues to reverberate across our continent.”
The leaders will also discuss illegal migration and energy when they meet at the country house — the birthplace of Winston Churchill.
“We cannot be spectators in this chapter of history. We must do more and go further, not just for the courageous Ukrainians on the frontlines, or those being trafficked from country-to-country, but so our future generations look back with pride at what our continent achieved together,” Starmer said ahead of the summit.
The prime minister, who strongly supported the UK remaining in the EU, has promised to “change the way the UK engages with our European partners, working collaboratively to drive forward progress on these generational challenges.”