European Political Community Sixth Summit (Tirana, 2025)

The 6th Summit of the European Political Community was a multilateral international summit held on 16 May 2025 in Tirana the capital of Albania with the participation of heads of state and government from 47 countries across the European continent. The summit’s priority agenda items included European security democratic resilience economic competitiveness empowering youth and enhancing cooperation capacity across the continent. This summit marked the first meeting of the European Political Community in the Western Balkans.

Definition and History of the Summit

The European Political Community (EPC) is a political advisory structure established to bring together member states of the European Union and other democratic states across the European continent. The initiative was first proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron on 9 May 2022 at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Macron suggested a new platform based on cooperation and solidarity for countries whose accession process to the EU could take a long time. The first meeting of the European Political Community was held in Prague on 6 October 2022. It was followed by summits hosted respectively by Moldova (June 2023) Spain (October 2023) the United Kingdom (July 2024) and Hungary (November 2024).

The sixth meeting of the European Political Community took place on 16 May 2025 in Tirana the capital of Albania. This summit is notable as the first EPC meeting held in the Western Balkans. The hosting role was assumed by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. The summit was structured around the theme “A New Europe in a New World: Unity – Cooperation – Joint Action.” Albania’s selection as host was planned in recognition of its role in the European integration process and its active contribution to regional cooperation. The summit was held at Skanderbeg Square in Tirana.

Participating Countries and Representatives

In addition to the 27 member states of the European Union the Tirana Summit invited EU candidate countries Albania Türkiye Ukraine Moldova Georgia Bosnia and Herzegovina Montenegro North Macedonia and Serbia as well as potential candidate Kosovo. Leaders of the United Kingdom Norway Switzerland Iceland Azerbaijan Armenia Andorra Liechtenstein Monaco and San Marino also attended the summit. Türkiye was represented at the summit by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. A total of 47 countries participated at the level of head of state or head of government.

Statements by Leaders at the Summit

President of the European Council António Costa emphasized during his opening address at the summit the need for Europe to act as a unified entity. Costa stated: “Our continent must unite its strengths… Europe must secure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. International law must prevail. And we know dear Volodymyr (Zelenskyy President of Ukraine) your security is our security… Europe must also invest more in its own defense because a defenseless peace is an illusion.”

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen noted that it has often been said in recent years that Europe needed to awaken and added: “Today Europe is awake – fully awake. While Russia has distanced itself from Europe the European Political Community has united to safeguard peace on our continent.”

Von der Leyen assessed the ongoing Ukraine-Russia negotiations in Istanbul as follows: “President Zelenskyy was ready for talks but President Putin never came and this reveals his true stance. Therefore we will increase pressure.” She also announced that the European Commission had prepared a new sanctions package targeting Russia’s clandestine fleet of old cargo ships used to circumvent international sanctions and the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline consortium.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in his opening address as host emphasized that the European Political Community must not be solely a structure based on military security and said: “The enemies of peace must not drag us into escalating arms. We have experienced war bombs territorial disputes destruction and chaos in the Balkans. This was not a distant black-and-white documentary archive but our lived reality. And we have seen that there is no rival to peace. Perhaps that is why hope is most strongly tied to this other Europe here.” Rama also proposed expanding the scope of the European Political Community to include scientific and cultural cooperation.

High Representative of the European Union Kaja Kallas in her assessment noted Albania’s progress in its European integration process and stated: “Albania is making good progress in its European integration and there is now a political momentum toward enlargement. This is necessary not only for the Western Balkans but also for the European Union.”

At the summit key agenda items included the war in Ukraine strengthening European security structures protecting democratic processes from external interference developing long-term defense capabilities and addressing common political governance issues. The next summit is planned to be held in Denmark in autumn 2025.

Institutional Co-Chairmanship and Organization

The summit was co-chaired by President of the European Council António Costa and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. Prior to the summit President Costa delivered political messages of support for European Union integration during a diplomatic tour of Western Balkan countries. Emphasis was placed on regional cooperation to ensure high-level participation.

President Erdoğan’s Address at the General Session

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered an address at the general session of the 6th Summit of the European Political Community held in Tirana on 16 May 2025. In his speech he addressed issues of international security European defense architecture energy cooperation and a lasting ceasefire in Gaza.

Erdoğan stated, “We must mobilize all our resources to achieve a lasting ceasefire, guarantee the delivery of humanitarian aid, and make Gaza habitable again.” Highlighting the humanitarian catastrophe that has persisted in Gaza for 20 months, he called for greater attention and responsibility from European countries.

In his assessment of Europe’s defense policies, Erdoğan emphasized that European Union defense initiatives must not undermine NATO’s central role. “We believe that initiatives such as ReArm and SAFE, if pursued with this understanding, will serve European security,” he said.

Speaking on Türkiye’s strategic importance and its economic ties with Europe, Erdoğan pointed to the need to update the Customs Union and called for a review of visa restrictions: “Visa regimes such as Schengen, which restrict the movement of our people and consequently the flow of goods, services and capital, must also be reviewed.”

On energy, Erdoğan noted that Türkiye possesses the most advanced infrastructure in the region and asserted, “Türkiye is making a significant contribution to preserving Europe’s uninterrupted supply chains.” Regarding the war in Ukraine, he drew attention to diplomatic efforts, saying, “We have held separate meetings with President Trump, President Putin and President Zelenskiy. Zelenskiy was in Ankara yesterday. Following our discussions, we decided to initiate technical talks. A crucial opportunity window has opened to halt the flow of blood for the first time since March 2022.”

In his remarks on Syria, Erdoğan welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that sanctions would be lifted and urged the European Union to take similar steps. He expressed hope for financial support toward Syria’s reconstruction and stressed that returns must be safe and voluntary. Erdoğan concluded his speech with the words, “I believe that when we uphold solidarity, make efficient use of our resources and establish sincere cooperation, no threat or challenge will remain beyond our capacity as a continent. With these thoughts, I wish our meeting brings blessings toward a secure, prosperous and stable Europe.”