8th European Political Community Summit
European Political Community Summit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 8th Summit of the European Political Community will be held on 4 May 2026 in Yerevan, Armenia. The European Political Community is an intergovernmental forum that facilitates political and strategic dialogue about the future of Europe.
| 8th European Political Community Summit | |
|---|---|
| |
| Host country | Armenia |
| Date | 4 May 2026 |
| Motto | Building the Future: Unity and Stability in Europe |
| Cities | Yerevan |
| Venues | Karen Demirchyan Complex |
| Participants | 48 countries[1] |
| Chair | Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of Armenia |
| Follows | 7th |
| Precedes | 9th |
| Website | epcyerevan2026.am |
Background
Armenia was announced as the host of the 8th summit of the European Political Community on 23 May 2025, following the 7th European Political Community Summit held on 2 October 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark, chaired by Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark[2]. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan announced that the 8th summit of the European Political Community (EPC) would be held on Monday 4 May 2026 in Yerevan[3][4]. The 8th EPC summit will be the largest international political event Armenia has hosted since its independence, with 48 heads of state and government from member states and partner countries expected to attend, together with invited delegates. Alongside the 8th EPC summit, Yerevan, Armenia will host three parallel high‑level events between 4 and 5 May 2026, including the inaugural EU-Armenia bilateral summit, the state visit of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, and the Yerevan Dialogue international forum[5][6][7][8]. The European Parliament resolution of 30 April 2026 on supporting democratic resilience in Armenia (2026/2701(RSP)) welcomes the holding of the eighth EPC summit and the first ever EU-Armenia summit in Yerevan on 4 and 5 May 2026 as an exceptional and historic milestone, considers that the consecutive hosting of both summits in Yerevan sends an unambiguous political signal of pan-European solidarity with Armenia and of the EU’s commitment to supporting Armenia’s peace, reform and resilience agenda, and calls on EU and Armenian leaders to use this opportunity to develop ambitious and concrete deliverables[9]. At the first ever EU-Armenia summit, the President of the European Council, António Costa, together with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will represent the EU, and the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will represent Armenia[10]. EU Ambassador to Armenia Vassilis Maragos emphasized that hosting the first-ever EU-Armenia bilateral summit in Yerevan, the day after the 8th EPC summit, brings Armenia to the center of European political conversations in a way that reflects the current state of the relationship[11][12][13]. The event comes at an important moment for Armenia, given the Joint Declaration reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan on 8 August 2025 in the presence of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, at the White House, which has been further welcomed by the EU[10], their joint support for Armenia’s Crossroads of Peace initiative[14][15][16][17][18] and the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP) connectivity project in the territory of Armenia[19][20][21], as well as the alignment with two EPC strategic topics, including advancing connectivity and addressing evolving security dynamics and regional challenges[22][19][23][16]. The state visit of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron will take place shortly after the solemn opening ceremony of the new building of the Embassy of Armenia in France, held in Paris on 28 April 2026 with the participation of Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ararat Mirzoyan, and France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot[24][25][26][27]. As part of the state visit, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by the Prime Minister of Armenia, will formalize a strategic partnership[28], visit Tsitsernakaberd and the Matenadaran, meet with the President of Armenia, Vahagn Khachaturyan, travel to Gyumri to honour the memory of the victims of the 1988 earthquake, and conclude the visit with the concert titled "Musical Bridge: Armenia-France" in Gyumri[29]. EU relations with Armenia are based on the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), effective since 2021, and the Strategic Agenda for the EU-Armenia Partnership[30], adopted in 2025[10].
Aims
Schedule and agenda
The summit is scheduled to take place on Monday 04 May 2026 at the Karen Demirchyan Complex in Yerevan, Armenia. An official statement issued by the Police of the Republic of Armenia on 01 May 2026, operating under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, announced that security and traffic‑control measures would be in place from 4 to 5 May 2026 for the 8th EPC summit, the 1st EU-Armenia summit, the state visit of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, and the Yerevan Dialogue international forum, considered unprecedented since Armenia’s independence owing to the scale of the anticipated high‑level attendance[32][33].
The schedule and agenda of the 8th EPC summit will be as follows:[1]
- 09:00: Arrivals
- 10:45: Opening ceremony & Family photo
- 11:30: Opening plenary
- 12:45: Informal lunch & Bilateral and multilateral meetings
- 14:15: Roundtable discussions
- 15:15: Bilateral and multilateral meetings
- 16:00: Closing plenary
- 16:30: Press statements
Attendees
Participating member states, partner countries and invited delegates
The summit is expected to be attended by the heads of state and government of the member states and partner countries participating in the European Political Community, together with the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission, the President of the European Parliament and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, will participate as a guest in the EPC summit, which will be the first time a non-European country has participated in the meeting[1][34]. Among the invited delegates, the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, will travel to Yerevan to attend the 8th EPC summit and are expected to hold multiple bilateral meetings with leaders present at the EPC, including with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan[35][36]
- Participating member states and partner countries
| IP | Invited and present |
| H | Host |
| IB | Invited but absent |
Invited delegates
| Invited countries and entities | Represented by | Title | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Canada | Mark Carney[1][55][56][57] | Prime Minister | IP |
 |
Council of Europe | Alain Berset[36][58] | Secretary General | IP |
 |
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe | Feridun Hadi Sinirlioğlu[59] | Secretary-General | IP |
 |
North Atlantic Treaty Organization | Mark Rutte[35] | Secretary General | |
 |
United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus | Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya | Leader of democratic forces of Belarus[60] | |
Press releases
This is a chronological list of press releases issued by the Government of Armenia, participating heads of state and government of the member states and partner countries as well as invited delegations.
- Government of Armenia. (3 May 2026). The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan receives OSCE Secretary General[61].
- Government of Armenia. (3 May 2026). Nikol Pashinyan, Iliana Yotova meet in Armenia. Armenia and Bulgaria sign declaration on strategic partnership[62][63]
- Prime Minister of Canada. (3 May 2026). Prime Minister Carney meets with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan[64].
- Government of Armenia. (3 May 2026). Nikol Pashinyan and Inga Ruginienė discussed the prospects for further developing Armenia-Lithuania relations.
Visits by summit participants to national sites
This is a chronological summary of the visits made by participating leaders to sites of cultural, historical, or political significance in the host country during the summit.
- Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand visits Tsitsernakaberd in Yerevan (3 May 2026)[65].
See also
- Armenia–European Union relations
- Accession of Armenia to the European Union
- EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement
- Delegation of the European Union to Armenia
- European Union Mission in Armenia
- Constitution of Armenia
- History of Armenia
- Independence Day (Armenia)
- Culture of Armenia
- List of World Heritage Sites in Armenia
- Flag of Armenia
- Tourism in Armenia
- Visa policy of Armenia
- Climate of Armenia
- Politics of Armenia
- Education in Armenia
- List of cities and towns in Armenia