Czech PM praises ‘openness’ of debates at EPC summit in Moldova

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS, ECR) said the absence of formal conclusions allowed European politicians to debate openly at Thursday’s European Political Community summit in Moldova.

Fiala said the summit in Moldova confirmed that the European Political Community is a useful format for addressing pan-European issues. This is because EU leaders can meet with their counterparts from third countries, and unlike the summits of EU leaders in the European Council, there are no written conclusions.

“This allows us to engage in informal discussions, to be very open and not have the pressure of agreeing on some formulations. It is this openness of the debates that I would like to underline,” Fiala told Czech journalists.

According to Fiala, the EPC “is proving to be an important grouping and a relevant political forum for every European country“.

During the summit in Moldova, energy and security were among the top issues of the official programme, with dozens of closed-door bilateral meetings taking place at the venue. He stressed that countries agreed on the need for stronger cooperation against hybrid threats, including disinformation campaigns.

Fiala also thanked the Moldovan government and President Maia Sandu for hosting the summit.

The Czech Republic organised the first summit of the European Political Community (EPC) in October 2022 in Prague, as the country holds the EU rotating presidency. Then, it passed the baton to Moldova, which organised the meeting only 20 kilometres from the Ukrainian borders.

“I admire how Moldova is brave to stand up to Russia and face the consequences of Russia’s barbaric attacks on Ukraine, which also affect Moldova’s stability,” Fiala noted.

While many European leaders left Moldova shortly after the summit ended, Fiala decided to remain overnight. On Friday, he is expected to meet with Sandu for a bilateral meeting to discuss the EU membership perspectives for the country.

(Aneta Zachová | EURACTIV.cz)