EPC Summit – At the second European Political Community (EPC) summit, Klaus Iohannis stressed again the importance of the support for Ukraine, a country that continues to be the target of Russia’s „merciless” attacks. The head of state has stated that the summit hosted by the Republic of Moldova is illustrative of its European vocation, for the seriousness of the reform efforts dedicated to its accession to the European Union and demonstrates the focus on the entire Eastern Neighborhood and the Black Sea region. Iohannis welcomed the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the meeting. Our summit must strongly reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine and its citizens to defeat Russian aggression and rebuild a peace based on the principles of the UN Charter, Klaus Iohannis stressed.. He also said that the European Union’s support for the Republic of Moldova must benefit from more visibility, as its strengthening also means the strengthening of Europe’s strategic resilience. Almost 50 heads of state and government are participating in the Summit hosted by the Republic of Moldova. The European Political Community is an intergovernmental format for debate and a platform for political coordination between European states in order to promote political dialogue and cooperation on topics of common interest, for the consolidation of security, stability and prosperity on the continent. The first meeting of the CPE took place in October 2022, in Prague.
Security – NATO will monitor the airspace of the Republic of Moldova during the European Political Community Summit, Reuters reports. The meeting of the leaders of the 27 member states of the European Union and 20 other countries at a famous winery located only 20 km from the Ukrainian territory constitutes a security and organizational challenge for the Republic of Moldova, the agency writes. NATO has announced that AWACS planes will monitor the airspace of the Republic of Moldova until Friday. Remnants of missiles from the war in neighboring Ukraine have been found on the territory of the Republic of Moldova several times in recent months. AWACS can detect planes, missiles and drones at a distance of hundreds of km, which makes them an important early warning capability, stated the spokesperson for the Alliance, Oana Lungescu.
NATO – The NATO foreign ministers gathered in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, to finalize the details of the summit in July. The main topic is the conflict in Ukraine, but, according to the Radio Romania correspondent, another topic is Sweden’s accession to the Alliance, a step postponed due to the conditions imposed by Turkey. The Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, stated that new laws related to terrorism entered into force in Sweden on June 1, which shows that Sweden is taking steps against the terrorist groups mentioned by Turkey. The head of the North Atlantic Alliance pointed out that, in recent months, the collaboration between Sweden and Turkey has strengthened, and „Sweden has demonstrated that it keeps its word”. Stoltenberg said that the NATO member states must take into account Turkey’s „well-founded concerns” regarding its own security, considering that it is the allied state most affected by terrorist attacks. The head of NATO concluded that, under these conditions, Sweden’s accession will happen soon.
EP – The European Parliament has adopted a resolution drawing attention to Hungary’s inability to take over the rotating presidency of the European Council in July 2024, due to issues related to the rule of law. MEPs belive that Hungary is no longer a democracy and demand that certain rights be suspended, according to Article 7 of the Treaty on the European Union. „Viktor Orbán lives with the illusion that he can use the European Union as an ATM and, at the same time, not respect the Union’s values,” said Dutch MEP Thijs Reuten. He offered as an example Budapest’s position towards the war in Ukraine, Hungary being the only EU country that blocked European aid to Kyiv.
