Numerous challenges, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, have undermined the rules-based order, but Europe stands ready to preserve peace and enhance the prosperity of the continent, stated the participants of the Sixth Summit of the European Political Community, which took place in Tirana on 16 May.

The meeting brought together heads of state and government leaders from 47 European countries, including the Western Balkans Six, along with senior representatives of key European and international institutions, under the motto “New Europe in a new world: unity – cooperation – joint action”.

Three high-level roundtables took place around the following topics: Europe’s security and democratic resilience, including Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; competitiveness and economic security; and mobility challenges and youth empowerment.

The EU was represented by the President of the European Council, António Costa, who co-chaired the meeting along with the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, as well as by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.

In his opening remarks, Costa noted that the EU “will remain a reliable partner, a predictable partner: in European integration, in economic and energy cooperation, in security and defence, in protecting our climate”.

“Our continent needs to join forces… Europe must succeed in bringing a just and lasting peace to Ukraine. International law must prevail. And we know, dear Volodymyr (Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine), that your security is also our security… Europe must also invest more in its own defence, because we have learned that peace without defence is an illusion”, he stressed.

In his address, Edi Rama called for a new European vision that went beyond military security.

“The enemies of peace should not drag us into the glorification of weapons. Here in the Balkans, we have survived war, bombs, territorial conflicts, destruction, and disruption. It happened in our lifetimes, not in some distant black-and-white documentary archive. And we have learned that peace has no competitors. Perhaps, that is why hope in that other Europe is greatest here”, Rama stressed.

Ursula von der Leyen reminded that in recent years, “we have talked a lot about the need for Europe to wake up”.

“Today, Europe is awake – wide awake. And while Russia has left Europe, the European Political Community is united to preserve peace on our continent”, she stated.

EU High Representative Kaja Kallas assessed that Albania “is making good progress in the European integration process and that now is the political momentum for enlargement and that this is not only necessary for the Western Balkans, but also for the EU”.

The European Political Community is the platform for political coordination launched in 2022. The next European Political Community meeting will take place in Denmark in autumn 2025.