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The European Political Community’s first meeting in the South Caucasus last week reflects the stretching contours of Europe, geographically, politically and strategically.
The meeting in Armenia was a response to global instability of which increasing trade tensions with the United States are a familiar part. Donald Trump’s threat of 25% tariff on European cars has left Brussels scrambling to save a fragile transatlantic deal negotiated last summer.
As global alliances shift, Europe is becoming a space others may want to join, align with, or orbit around, from Canada to the United Kingdom, from Iceland to the Balkans.
Is Europe truly becoming an independent global power? Should the EU respond to external pressure with deeper integration?
Those were some of the questions discussed by two members of the European Parliament: Germany’s Damian Boeselager, representing Volt Europe, caucusing with the Greens, and Austria’s Helmut Brandstätter from Renew Europe.
At a time of profound geopolitical transformation, they discussed how to cooperate more closely and coordinate action to strengthen democratic resilience inside and outside Europe, improve military strength and reinforce economic competitiveness.
Both welcomed the participation of non-European countries, such as Canada, in the EPC conference – a country with British political traditions and French culture – as well as that of German immigrants, as Brandstätter pointed out.
Speaking to the EPC delegates, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had said he is determined to build a new network of trade and diplomatic alliances after the loss of US markets under Donald Trump.
Carney’s presence also represented a show of western support for democracy in Armenia in its efforts to distance itself from Russia at a time when Washington’s approach to Moscow’s opponents, such as Ukraine, is at best ambiguous.
Canadian diplomats have rejected suggestions Ottawa might seek EU membership, but both Boeselager and Brandstätter were in favour of it.
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