what’s it for? By Reuters

By Michel Rose and Sabine Siebold

PRAGUE (Reuters) – Leaders of 44 European international locations collect on Thursday for the inaugural summit of the European Political Neighborhood (EPC), a grand present of solidarity for a continent mired in a number of crises, however past that it’s unclear what the discussion board is supposed to attain.

A brainchild of French President Emmanuel Macron, the EPC brings collectively the 27 member states of the European Union and 17 different international locations, together with a number of ready to affix the bloc and the one one ever to depart it, the UK.

An EU diplomat stated the gathering of so many leaders in Prague would ship “a really sturdy sign” to Russian President Vladimir Putin of opposition to the struggle unleashed in Ukraine after his February invasion.

Diplomats say no such Europe-wide grouping exists, and this can be a good second to forge one as the entire continent grapples with penalties of the struggle, together with the risk to peace and safety and an economically devastating power disaster.

However, on the eve of the gathering, EU overseas coverage chief Josep Borrell stated with so many leaders assembly for simply half a day it may solely be “an preliminary alternate,” and there have been nonetheless unresolved questions concerning the discussion board’s final aim.

In a weblog, Borrell stated readability was nonetheless wanted on the EPC’s core rationale, the discussion board’s remaining membership, its relationship with the EU, the way it ought to take selections and even whether or not it ought to have a finances of its personal.

Some have already written off the EPC as simply one other speaking store, one which might be troublesome to handle not simply due to its measurement but in addition due to its range and the standard rivalries between lots of its members, from Armenia and Azerbaijan to Greece and Turkey.

Nonetheless, Mujtaba Rahman, Eurasia Group’s managing director for Europe, stated it may current a possibility for the EU to advance its strategic objectives on power provide, migration, safety and defence.

He stated British Prime Minister Liz Truss’s choice to attend the summit may additionally facilitate a reset of ties between Brussels and London which were frayed by post-Brexit wrangling over Northern Eire.

The assembly in Prague Fort, a sprawling complicated based greater than a 1,000 years in the past that features a cathedral and cobblestone streets, might be adopted on Friday by a gathering of EU leaders.

This summit might be dominated by how you can cap fuel costs to include hovering power prices.

Diplomats stated the EU summit would in all probability additionally embrace tensions over Germany’s announcement of a 200 billion euro ($197.50 billion) assist package deal for companies and households that different member states may by no means afford.

($1 = 1.0127 euros)