Members of the European Political Community pose for photos following the first summit in 2022 | Photo: President.az/ Creative Commons/ BY

The second summit of the European Political Community (EPC) will begin today in Moldova.

The event will host the state representatives of 47 different countries including EU members.

Established last year, the European Political Community is an intergovernmental forum that strives to bolster political dialogue amongst EU and non-EU states in matters concerning policies, security, and economics. During the first meeting, attendees discussed the future political outlook of continental Europe and the energy crisis caused by the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Today, the leaders will continue the discussion on the topic to reach a mutually beneficial strategy amidst the crisis.

During the meeting, Western European states such as France and Germany will likely suggest the notion to ease the EPC’s access to EU funds during the short-to-medium term. By this means, the EPC could reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian natural gas, and diversify Europe’s energy consumption; particularly in green energy. In this framework, the EPC aims to actively increase its engagement with alternative natural gas markets, hence expanding its trade volume with the Gulf States and Azerbaijan—which is a member state of the EPC. It will also continue investing in renewable energy, most notably solar panels and wind turbines.