Copenhagen, Denmark – 8 October 2025
The seventh summit of the European Political Community (EPC) successfully convened in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Thursday, 2 October 2025, bringing together heads of state and government from over 40 European nations, both inside and outside the European Union. Using the title words for search engine optimisation, the pivotal seventh summit of the European Political Community focused on strengthening pan-European resilience against geopolitical challenges, with security and unwavering support for Ukraine dominating the agenda in Copenhagen, Denmark. The gathering at the Bella Center aimed to foster political dialogue and cooperation to fortify the continent’s stability and address major shared threats.
Headline Points
* Date and Venue: The 7th EPC Summit was held on 2 October 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the Bella Center.
* Key Focus: The agenda was overwhelmingly dominated by European security, with a strong emphasis on support for Ukraine and bolstering the continent’s defence capabilities against “traditional and hybrid threats.”
* Attendance: Over 40 leaders attended, including EU and non-EU heads of government, as well as institutional leaders from NATO and the Council of Europe.
* Key Proposals: Discussions included a proposal for a pan-European “drone wall” along the EU’s eastern frontier and the establishment of a €150 billion SAFE instrument to boost the continent’s defence industry through EU-level borrowing.
* Bilateral Diplomacy: The summit was a key opportunity for crucial bilateral meetings, including high-level talks between leaders from Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the Western Balkans nations.
Focus on Defence and Hybrid Threats
Co-chaired by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and President of the European Council António Costa, the summit’s central theme was “European security and resilience.” Prime Minister Frederiksen set a stern tone early on, warning that Russia was “threatening us, testing us, and they will not stop,” stressing the urgent need for a unified and robust response.
Discussions were partitioned into plenary sessions and several targeted roundtables focusing on:
* Traditional & Hybrid Threats: Leaders addressed new forms of aggression, including cyber warfare, disinformation, and the security of critical infrastructure.
* Economic Security: Measures to safeguard Europe’s economy against geopolitical coercion were a key talking point.
* Migration: The continent-wide challenge of migration was also a significant discussion point, particularly for coastal nations and transit countries.
The most ambitious proposal to emerge was the concept of a pan-European ‘drone wall’ along the eastern border to guard against unmanned threats, though specific commitments on its financing and governance remain vague. Furthermore, leaders discussed leveraging sanctioned Russian assets to finance a proposed €140 billion “reparations loan” to Kyiv.
Attendance and High-Stakes Bilaterals
The meeting served as an essential platform for diplomatic coordination, bringing together leaders from across the continent, including those from the European Union, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Ukraine, Moldova, and the Western Balkans nations. Notable attendees included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. The Prime Ministers of Denmark’s overseas territories, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, were also represented for the first time within the EPC framework.
Beyond the formal sessions, the informal setting of the EPC allowed for vital bilateral and multilateral meetings that addressed several regional conflicts:
* Caucasus Dialogue: Top EU officials met with both Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to consolidate the recent diplomatic breakthrough achieved between the two nations.
* Western Balkans: Leaders from the Western Balkans, including the Presidents of Serbia and Kosovo, were highly visible. They used the platform to press the EU for tangible steps toward accession, including aid to address hybrid threats and closer defence cooperation.
* Ukraine’s Path to EU: While President Zelenskyy pushed for the opening of the first cluster of EU accession negotiations, the summit highlighted existing divisions, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán reiterating his opposition to Ukraine’s full membership.
While the summit did not yield legally binding decisions or substantial new commitments on EU accession, it successfully reinforced the message that European security is a continental task, requiring a united front from both EU and non-EU partners in the face of escalating global threats.
