London, Jul 18 (IANS): Some 50 European leaders gathered in the United Kingdom (UK) on Thursday for the fourth meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) as the UK aims to reshape ties with Europe amid global challenges.
Hosting the first major UK-led summit of his premiership, Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the leaders to Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, the birthplace of former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Xinhua news agency reported.
Among his priorities, Starmer tries to reset the UK's strained post-Brexit relations with Europe as the region faces "generational challenges."
Addressing the opening plenary, the UK prime minister said that under his leadership, Britain will be a "friend and a partner to Europe, ready to work with you... not focused on the differences between us, but on the values that we share."
The UK government will use the summit to discuss closer collaboration to tackle illegal immigration and greater security cooperation with its European counterpart, among other issues, according to a statement by Downing Street ahead of the meeting.
For the first time at a meeting of the EPC, NATO, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe will be in attendance.
The EPC, which began with the opening plenary, will be followed by three roundtables on such issues as migration, energy, and connectivity, before ending with a closing plenary.
Starmer will also have a bilateral meeting with Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris and French President Emmanuel Macron, respectively, according to Downing Street.
However, it remains to be seen whether Starmer will be able to change the political climate overnight.
According to observers, Starmer will be seeking a deal to stop food being delayed at borders, but he has insisted that he will not take the UK back into the EU, single market, customs union, or the free movement regime, seen as a huge obstacle to improving ties with the EU.
The EU, for its part, has always resisted anything it regards as "cherry picking" and is expected to demand a heavy price for any deal that significantly improves the UK's access to the EU single market. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen is not coming to the UK to attend the EPC herself, which is not seen as a good sign.
The brainchild of Macron, the EPC serves as a platform for dialogue and cooperation between the EU and countries in its neighborhood to address issues of common interest.
The EPC held its inaugural meeting in Prague, the Czech Republic, in October 2022, followed by a second meeting in Moldova in June and a third in Spain in October last year. The fifth EPC will be held in Hungary in November this year.