5 October 2023
The Heads of State or Government for around 50 European countries sent a message of unity against Russia and support for Ukraine in Granada, in the presence of Ukraine’s President, Volodymir Zelenski, who took part in the third European Political Community (EPC) Summit.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, were also in attendance at this forum for dialogue and cooperation.
The acting President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has renewed Spain’s “firm” commitment, as the country currently holding the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union, to “continue taking steps to formally open talks” for Ukraine’s membership of the EU, pending the report by the European Commission, which must give its opinion on whether the requirements established in the treaties have been fulfilled and the necessary reforms have been implemented by the Ukrainian Government.
Sánchez held a bilateral meeting with Zelenski prior to the opening session of the EPC meeting in which they discussed sending “a new military support package” to Ukraine.
The unity of Europe
Zelenski, who, like Sánchez, spoke at the opening session of the EPC, stressed that the greatest challenge at the moment is to “save the unity of Europe, not only of the EU countries, but of the whole of Europe”, and the importance for Ukraine of “having a protective shield for the winter”.
“We have all defended Ukraine, Europe is more independent from Russia than ever,” remarked Zelenski, who also called for continuing pressuring the Kremlin with more political and economic sanctions so that it cannot keep on “spreading chaos”.
“This European Political Community is an expression of a shared desire to work together to build the Europe of the future, whatever our position on the continent is, whether we are members of the European Union or not,” stated Sánchez.
One of the working sessions of the summit plenary was on multilateralism and how the war in Ukraine is affecting the international order.
The European Political Community also shared reflections on energy sovereignty and artificial intelligence, from the point of view that the EU wants to bring a humanist perspective to the entire technological revolution that is increasingly present in Europeans’ lives.
Today, Granada is the capital of Europe and peace – Pedro SánchezActing president of the Spanish Government
Sánchez stressed that the meetings in Granada – where an informal meeting of the EU-27 Heads of State or Government will be held on Friday– demonstrate the “specific weight that Spain now has in all the important debates that have arisen in the EU” and proclaimed that “today, Granada is the capital of Europe and for peace”.
Granada “speaks us out about coexistence and cultural encounters, in synthesis and in short about the great epic of this corner of the world called Europe”, he added.
After reaffirming his solidarity with Ukrainian citizens, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, expressed his confidence that “this meeting, under the Spanish presidency, will bring the European continent closer to achieving common objectives, stability, prosperity and security”.
Meeting of the European Political Community
“Our citizens want us to be leaders in a change that will lead to a better life for all, and it is up to us to show that we can achieve peace and security, working together to bring the four corners of our continent closer,” said Michel.
Our citizens want us to be leaders in a change that will lead to a better life for all, and it is up to us to show that we can achieve peace and security, working together to bring the four corners of our continent closer – Charles Michel, President of the European Council
In turn, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, emphasised the “strong support that the European Political Community is giving to Ukraine” and the “strong message to Putin: we will not tolerate aggression against a sovereign state”.
The success of the Energy Platform
Michel highlighted that the energy sector is extremely important, which is why the EU has decided to redouble its efforts in favour of renewable energies.
“We have decided to triple our efforts to achieve energy efficiency, and we are also working very hard on developing such a platform, which can help reduce conflicts, prevent them where possible, reduce them and address the difficulties we face,” he stressed.
Von der Leyen also referred to Europe’s joint efforts in the field of energy and the “success” that not only the 27 Member States have joined the EU Energy Platform, but also other countries in the European Political Community, such as Norway, Ukraine, Moldova and Serbia.
At the end of the summit, the European leaders were received by the King and Queen of Spain at the Alhambra, Spain’s most visited monumental site, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984.
Source – Spanish EU Presidency