From Symbolism to Substance? Navigating Europe Through Crisis After the European Political Community and European Council Summits in Copenhagen

The October 2025 informal European Council meeting and the European Political Community (EPC) Summit took place in Copenhagen amid increasing regional turbulence and global multipolarity. This analysis provides a concise overview of the key conclusions from the two summits and examines how EU leaders can more effectively address various challenges, including the war in Ukraine, instability in the Middle East, declining EU competitiveness, enlargement, and democratic backsliding within the EU and its neighborhood, in future summits. Recommendations include the light institutionalization of the EPC, adopting unified positions and concrete actions on issues such as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, ensuring that competitiveness and economic resilience feature more prominently in the agendas of upcoming summits, and integrating “soft” conditionality into the EPC to encourage reform and policy alignment. The EPC’s transformation from a symbolic forum into a delivery platform could bolster Europe’s role in a multipolar world and support the maintenance of rules-based international relations.

Executive Summary

The October 2025 informal European Council meeting and the European Political Community (EPC) Summit took place in Copenhagen amid increasing regional turbulence and global multipolarity. This analysis provides a concise overview of the key conclusions from the two summits and examines how EU leaders can more effectively address various challenges, including the war in Ukraine, instability in the Middle East, declining EU competitiveness, enlargement, and democratic backsliding within the EU and its neighborhood, in future summits. Recommendations include the light institutionalization of the EPC, adopting unified positions and concrete actions on issues such as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, ensuring that competitiveness and economic resilience feature more prominently in the agendas of upcoming summits, and integrating “soft” conditionality into the EPC to encourage reform and policy alignment. The EPC’s transformation from a symbolic forum into a delivery platform could bolster Europe’s role in a multipolar world and support the maintenance of rules-based international relations.

Introduction

On October 1 and 2, 2025, European leaders convened in Copenhagen for two consecutive meetings, which, although different in composition and scope, were closely intertwined. The informal European Council meeting, held at Christiansborg Palace, brought together the heads of state and government of the EU’s 27 member states, along with the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission. The following day, Denmark, as part of its rotating EU Presidency, hosted the seventh meeting of the European Political Community (EPC), which brought together nearly every country on the continent—from the UK to Ukraine, and from Norway to Azerbaijan. The Czech Republic, San Marino, Slovakia, and Turkey were the only members absent from the Copenhagen EPC Summit.