Factbox-Who is at the EPC summit in Prague, and what are they discussing? By Reuters

By John Chalmers

(Reuters) – The inaugural assembly of the European Political Group (EPC) takes place in Prague on Thursday, bringing collectively leaders from 44 nations of the continent, together with the 27 member states of the European Union.

WHAT IS THE IDEA BEHIND THE EPC?

The brand new pan-European grouping was an initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron, who sees it as a possibility to construction dialogue on an equal footing between EU members and non-members on points that confront all of them.

The EPC contains a number of nations ready to affix the EU and the one one ever to go away the bloc, the UK, and it brings collectively nations on shores stretching from the Caucasus to the North Sea and the Mediterranean.

A key goal is to embrace EU candidate nations which can be dropping endurance ready for membership of the bloc, and in doing so counter makes an attempt by Russia and China to realize affect within the continent’s southern and jap fringes.

The thought can be to maintain Britain, a significant navy energy, inside a European discussion board following its exit from the EU.

WHAT ISSUES WILL THE EPC SUMMIT ADDRESS?

The half-day assembly on the Prague Fort will begin with roundtable discussions on threats to peace and safety, and on the crises Europe faces on vitality, local weather, the financial system and immigration. The leaders will then come collectively within the night over dinner to assessment their conclusions.

EU overseas coverage chief Josep Borrell mentioned the gathering would spotlight Moscow’s worldwide isolation over the battle in Ukraine, and was “a method of on the lookout for a brand new order with out Russia”.

No formal communique is predicted after the summit.

There might be a flurry of bilateral conferences on the sidelines of the summit.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss’s resolution to attend might facilitate a reset of ties between Brussels and London which were frayed by post-Brexit wrangling over Northern Eire.

WILL IT WORK AS A FORUM?

Borrell mentioned in a weblog forward of the assembly that readability continues to be wanted on the EPC’s core rationale, its ultimate membership, its relationship with the EU, the way it ought to take selections and even whether or not it ought to have a price range of its personal.

A constitution of EPC ideas might in the end be drawn up.

Nonetheless, some have already written off the EPC as simply one other speaking store that may wrestle to agree on concrete coverage deliverables.

EU officers helped organise the primary assembly, and whereas Brussels is cautious that the EPC will appear as if an offshoot of the bloc if it continues to take the lead, getting issues finished could be tougher if it does not.

Sceptics level out that there are simply too many countries across the EPC desk, a number of – resembling Azerbaijan and Armenia, and Greece and Turkey – which can be conventional rivals, and an excessive amount of range of tradition and politics to maintain them united.

French officers retort that the G20 is simply as numerous and manages to agree on points resembling worldwide finance guidelines.

WILL THERE BE REGULAR MEETINGS OF THE EPC?

There are tentative plans to carry conferences of the EPC twice a yr, and plenty of anticipate Moldova or Britain to host the subsequent ones. Future EPC conferences may very well be held amongst ministers of the member states, not simply their leaders.