Group photo during the second European Political Community summit becomes a kind of postcard for Putin: ‘We support Moldova’

Moldova is not alone. That is the message that more than forty heads of state and government are sending to Russian President Vladimir Putin by traveling to a Moldovan wine castle for the second summit of the European Political Community.

The return of war in Europe gave French President Emmanuel Macron the idea a year ago to convene all the continent’s leaders for a new forum.

To keep the peace, all kinds of European organizations sprang up like mushrooms after the Second World War, from the Council of Europe to eventually the European Union. All those organizations have grown into institutions that produce rules, agreements and law.

The European Political Community (EPG), meeting for the second time, will stay away from all that bureaucratic red tape and endless negotiations. The organization does not even have a clubhouse. A total of 47 European countries have been invited. For the first time, the dwarf states of Andorra, San Marino and Monaco are also joining.

Wine castle

The fact that Moldova, the poorest country on the continent, is allowed to organize this summit in a wine castle an hour’s drive from the capital Chisinau has everything to do with the country that is not welcome: Russia. President Vladimir Putin is trying to disrupt Europe with hybrid attacks, friendly oligarchs and the breakaway region of Transnistria. The government of Moldova, with Western help, is doing everything it can to keep the country independent.

The group photo should be one of the highlights. This time it is a kind of postcard for Putin with the message: we support Moldova.

The leaders briefly sit together in a large hall. Prime Minister Mark Rutte has been asked by the Moldovan president to give an opening speech. He will call on other countries to continue supporting Ukraine.

Fighter Jet Coalition

Then the leaders will discuss topics such as cyber security and energy in small groups. Subsequently, Rutte and his colleagues have hours for meetings. This is how the new ‘jet fighter coalition’ for Ukraine meets. Azerbaijan and Armenia talk about peace under the watchful eye of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Macron. Furthermore, the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia, where dozens of NATO soldiers were injured in riots this week, are in one room. Nevertheless, critics find the EPG far too noncommittal: a compelling joint decision is not to be expected.

Luuk van Middelaar of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics disagrees with the criticism. “We think it is useful. Precisely because it is informal. Leaders are not sent by their officials and they do not have to spend hours arguing over a word during negotiations”.

What is especially important, according to the professor: “We are in the middle of a historic moment. There is a war going on that affects the entire continent. So not only the countries within the EU. Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the Balkans are also feeling it. But there was not yet a forum to discuss this together”.

Top heavy

The European Union is present with a top-heavy delegation. In addition to EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, President Roberta Metsola of the European Parliament and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell will also attend the summit.

Van Middelaar thinks that Brussels “should watch out a bit.” “This is a forum of states that are all equal. The EU dimension creates inequality again. You are in the EU or not. That defeats the purpose of the forum. Moreover, Borrell is not a leader, but more like a minister. Metsola’s coming must be a one-time mistake. She has no business there.”

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