It would be foolish to suppose that the daylong gathering of European leaders that took place in Prague on Thursday will solve the problems facing this continent. The problems are too huge and pressing for that. The daunting list ranges from the war in Ukraine and relations with Russia, through the gas shortages and high prices facing Europe this winter, to the universal threat from climate change and the challenges of migration for a continent marked by struggling economies.
Nevertheless, the meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) is a helpful but modest step for the continent as a whole, and for Britain’s relations with it. The meeting, conceived by President Macron of France, brought together the European Union’s member states and non-members on an equal basis. It makes better European dialogue with important states on the continental periphery more possible. These include Britain as well as Ukraine, Turkey and Norway, along with the non-EU states of the western Balkans and along parts of Russia’s southern flank.
