The European Political Community (EPC) summit is under way in Dublin, with Taoiseach Micheál Martin welcoming as many as 50 heads of state and European Union officials. It is the largest political and diplomatic event ever held in Ireland.
Leaders gather in Dublin
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are among those arriving at the Convention Centre amid the biggest security operation in the history of the Irish state. UK President Andy Burnham is expected to arrive later, flying in after attending the UN Cop31 climate conference in Turkey.
The summit is part of Ireland's six-month presidency of the EU Council. Ukraine will be at the centre of discussions, with President Volodymyr Zelensky due to address the plenary session.
Connectivity as the theme
Speaking to the media at the start of the summit, Mr Martin dismissed concerns over its informal nature and ability to make progress. He said: "European leaders who are members of the European Union meet regularly. The benefit of the EPC is it broadens that to many other countries within the European continent and beyond."
He added: "The theme today is being a more connected European continent, connected in the sense of both people-to-people connections, but physical connections, technological connectivity, and of course energy. These are big, big topics for all countries."
Security and Ukraine focus
Mr Martin also said he believes the European Union has "put down a very clear marker" in terms of the security of the continent's response to Russia's war against Ukraine. He said: "I think Europe, broadly speaking, is united. We don't believe in war. We're appalled and we oppose the Russian invasion of Ukraine."
Mr Zelensky said he expects to receive an update from US President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner after recent talks with Russia in Abu Dhabi.
UK Prime Minister Mr Burnham is expected to announce further sanctions against Russia and discuss hybrid threats to European security. He is expected to co-chair a security and defence roundtable, attend a Ukraine meeting and hold a series of bilateral talks.
The EPC was set up in 2022 as an informal forum for leaders to hold political and strategic discussions on issues of shared concern, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This will be its ninth meeting and will involve leaders from all EU countries, the wider European region, EU institutions and international organisations.
The theme of the summit in Dublin is "Europe – strong, secure and connected", and it will include discussions on strengthening Europe's economy in the face of geopolitical challenges, supporting Ukraine and addressing hybrid threats, efforts to undermine democracy and AI. The gathering will be chaired by the president of the European Council, António Costa.
