Leaders from a total of 47 European countries will attend the sixth European Political Community (EPC) summit at Tirana, Albania, on Friday (16 May).
The gathering comes just a week after Moscow’s annual Victory Day parade, which drew controversy due to the attendance of Slovak prime minister Robert Fico and Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić — despite EU warnings.
Despite its status as an EU accession country hopeful, Belgrade’s close ties with Moscow, internal politics and the government’s continued refusal to align with EU sanctions against Russia have put into question the bloc’s credibility in influencing candidate countries.
Under the slogan New Europe in a new world: unity – cooperation – joint action, the Tirana summit is expected to touch on regional security, energy resilience, and the future of EU enlargement.
The high-level meeting also comes after elections for a new parliament in Albania were held on Sunday 11 May.
On Thursday (15 May), EU trade ministers will discuss commercial relations with the US and the threat of US tariffs.
For his part, US president Donald Trump is set to travel this week to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, all of which host an American military presence.
And Nato foreign ministers will meet in Ankara on Wednesday and Thursday.
In parallel, MEPs on the trade committee will meet with European Commission officials to discuss the recently unveiled €95bn tariff list targeting American goods and a formal complaint filed at the World Trade Organization.
On Monday (12 May), the Eurogroup will meet in Brussels, where Germany’s newly appointed finance minister, Lars Klingbeil, will present Berlin’s updated policy priorities under the new government.
The day after, EU finance ministers will meet in the Belgian capital to discuss a wide range of topics — including VAT rules, the €150bn new financial instrument presented by the EU commission in March and designed to bolster countries’ defence spending, competitiveness, and member states’ post-pandemic recovery plans.
On Wednesday (14 May), the European Commission will present proposals aimed at simplifying the EU’s Common Agriculture Policy (CAP).
“It is high time to cut the red tape, reduce burdens, and let farmers get on with their job. We want to give them support, legal certainty, and the flexibility to innovate”, said centre-right MEP Herbert Dorfmann.
The European Commission is also expected to present its latest economic forecast on Friday.
On Thursday, MEPs in the parliament's agriculture committee will vote on an increase in tariffs against Russian and Belarusian fertilisers.
EU ministers in charge of energy will hold an informal meeting in Warsaw on Monday and Tuesday (13 May). The focus will be on rebuilding Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and strengthening energy security. Faith Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, is expected to take part in these discussions.
On Wednesday, the European Court of Justice will rule on the case brought by the New York Times against the European Commission for its refusal to release text messages between Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla about a multibillion-euro deal for 1.8 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses.
The messages came under scrutiny after journalist Alexander Fanta, of the investigative site Follow the Money and an EUobserver contributor, requested their publication in April 2021 for the sake of transparency — only to find they had magically vanished.
If the court rules in favour of The New York Times, it could set a significant precedent, exposing the commission's weak application of the access-to-documents law.
Meanwhile, MEPs in the constitutional affairs committee will vote on Wednesday on a proposal to update the European Parliament's internal rules, paving the way for the creation of a joint ethics oversight body involving EU institutions.
The new body, however, is already considered toothless due to its lack of enforcement powers and authority to investigate or sanction ethical breaches, raising concerns about its effectiveness in preventing scandals such as Qatargate or Huawei.
In 2023, MEP Daniel Freund simply labelled it as "not independent,” criticising its lack of powers.
On Monday, EU youth ministers will meet to discuss the growing impact of disinformation on young people. The meeting will coincide with talks among education ministers, who are expected to adopt a recommendation aimed at improving the mutual recognition of higher education qualifications across the bloc. Cultural, audiovisual, and sports affairs will be discussed on Tuesday.
MEPs in the civil liberties committee will adopt their position on the child sexual abuse law on the same day. The draft bill, which aims to improve cross-border investigations and victim support, has previously raised encryption concerns among privacy and rights activists.
Still on Tuesday, EU quality commissioner Hadja Lahbib will address MEPs in the development committee.
This year, we turn 25 and are looking for 2,500 new supporting members to take their stake in EU democracy. A functioning EU relies on a well-informed public – you.
Elena is EUobserver's editor-in-chief. She is from Spain and has studied journalism and new media in Spanish and Belgian universities. Previously she worked on European affairs at VoteWatch Europe and the Spanish news agency EFE.
Elena is EUobserver's editor-in-chief. She is from Spain and has studied journalism and new media in Spanish and Belgian universities. Previously she worked on European affairs at VoteWatch Europe and the Spanish news agency EFE.