The CPE met for the first time on October 6 in Prague and started with the purpose of improving cooperation in foreign and security policy on the continent. Its flexibility, as well as the ‘luxury’ of being able to use the EU’s considerable resources, are the key issues for its future success.
The European Political Community (EPC) – the new platform that brings together the 27 Member States of the European Union and 17 non-EU European countries – met for the first time on October 6 in Prague. The initiative responds to the desire to create a united front against Russian aggression. But the invasion has not been the only reason to create the CPE. The EU’s strategic thinking about its neighborhood and the continent has changed: to secure energy supplies, fight climate change and repel cyber attacks, the EU has no choice but to look beyond its borders.
After years of deadlock on enlargement, Brexit and various failures in the neighborhood policy, the time had come for the EU to take another step to improve coordination between the Union and non-EU European countries, working to create a true continental space.
In essence, French President Emmanuel Macron’s EPC proposal and European Council President Charles Michel’s proposal for a European Geopolitical Community want the same thing: to improve cooperation on foreign and security policy on the continent.
A surprisingly successful first meeting
A first concrete step in this direction has been taken in Prague. The inaugural EPC meeting served as the starting point for a rapprochement between France and the UK, which is an achievement in itself. The promise of a trilateral meeting between Spain, Portugal and France on the energy connection between the Iberian Peninsula and France was also achieved, as well as an agreement to send an EU civil mission to Armenia and Azerbaijan.
There were hours of bilateral meetings and minilaterals that contributed to a better understanding of priorities and that brought several leaders who are not usually at the same table to socialize with each other. In fact, it is a family photo worth celebrating, as it offers the possibility – in the long term – of a true feeling of belonging and unity to all Europeans, not just those with a burgundy EU passport. .
«It is a family photo to celebrate; offers the possibility of a feeling of belonging to all the Europeans, not just those with a burgundy passport”
However, the coming months will have to focus on three aspects: whether the EPC can improve relations between the EU and non-EU countries with a view to future political convergence; whether the initiative can contribute to 21st century multilateralism, and whether the EPC can help facilitate the integration of candidate countries into the EU. In this sense, a flexible “uecentrism”, that is, having the resources of the EU when necessary, would be a good way forward, but for it to work, the Union must also demonstrate a genuine desire to understand the concerns of non-EU countries on the continent.
It is not a new Council of Europe
The EU decided to invite to Prague the candidate countries (and potential candidates), the countries of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), the United Kingdom, and Azerbaijan and Armenia. These last two came as a surprise to many, but they were the only ones left from the Eastern Partnership that had not formally applied to join the EU (unlike Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) or had not been explicitly excluded (like Belarus).
The list of invitees largely follows the operating logic and program structure of the EU. It also broadly follows the current list of members of the Council of Europe, but without Andorra, Monaco and San Marino, and adding Kosovo with an asterisk. The guest list has led many to question why an entirely new institution is necessary. In short, the main reason is the luxury of being able to call on the EU’s vast resources when needed.
The invited non-EU countries are already deeply integrated into it: they have Association Agreements or Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements (DCFTAs), some are in the European Economic Area (EEA) and one is even in the European Union. customs. Therefore, launching a platform with a certain degree of “uecentrism” is not necessarily a bad idea if you think about the operability, resources and capacity in the long term.
For now, the CPE is intergovernmental, as the British wanted. But it is also one step away from being able to harness EU resources in an attempt to solve some of the continent’s many problems. For example, when it was decided to send a mission to Armenia and Azerbaijan, it was also decided that the EU institutions would organize it. This is surely the main added value of the invention of a new organization with close ties to the EU.
What future success depends on
Right now, the CPE is like a blank canvas to be painted on. It could become a rather weak coordination platform – or a chat room, as many suspect – where leaders simply meet to exchange views – which is not necessarily a bad thing in itself – or it could become a totally new structure that could lead to a certain degree of political harmonization in specific areas.
The fact that the initiative has a degree of “eucentrism” – the links with the Council presidencies, but also with the European Commission and the EEAS when it comes to implementation – will ensure that harmonization is in line with EU priorities. The flexibility to participate in future initiatives will be key, both to pave the way for “coalitions of volunteers” that promote common agendas and to avoid the frustration of those countries that prefer not to participate in a specific mission or action.
“The CPE can be a positive step towards this goal and become a key piece for multilateralism in the 21st century”
The EU’s future calculations on enlargement policy, the neighborhood policy and its regional initiatives, such as the Eastern Partnership, will also influence the political capital and resources to be invested in the EPC.
On the other hand, the willingness of non-EU countries to collaborate will also be crucial. Democratic credentials, so far, have not been a key consideration. That said, the EPC must not undermine the EU’s own goals and policies.
The EPC is currently based on two pillars: being a flexible platform for dialogue with non-EU European countries, while at the same time having the luxury of using the EU’s considerable resources when needed.
This will make the EPC more effective than the Council of Europe and the OSCE in the long run. For a long time, world and European events have called for the EU to become a more active geopolitical player. Following the initial successes of the Prague meeting, the EPC can be a positive step towards that goal and become a key player in multilateralism in the 21st century.
Article originally published in English in the Web of CEPS.
