The focus is on Europe: Stocker discusses security and migration in Tirana

The focus is on Europe: Stocker discusses security and migration in Tirana

On May 15, 2025, the sixth summit of the European Political Community (EPG) will take place in Tirana, Albania. 47 heads of state and government of European countries take part in this meeting, including the Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP). The EPG, which was founded in Prague in Prague in October 2022 on the initiative of France President Emmanuel Macron, has established itself as a platform to address European challenges together. Central topics are on the agenda for this summit, including Europe's security in the context of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, competitiveness and migration.

Council President António Costa will be present as an important representative of the European Union, while the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama will be conducted the summit. It should be emphasized that Russia and Belarus are excluded from the event, which underlines the political orientation of the EPG.

Thematic focus and bilateral conversations

The consultations will deal intensively with the security of Europe, especially in view of the continuing challenges of the war in Ukraine. In addition to this central topic, competitiveness and migratory currents in Europe are also discussed. Bilateral conversations with various heads of state are also planned for Chancellor Stocker, including Edi Rama (Albania), Jakov Milatović (Montenegro), Aleksandar Vučić (Serbia), Nikol Paschinjan (Armenia) and Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu (Kosovo).

Already at the previous summit in June 2023 in Chisinau, Moldova, almost 50 heads of state and government met to form a clear front against the Russian attack war. On this occasion, Europeanways blew together with the flags of the Republic of Moldova, which is pro-European. The event was located near the Ukrainian border and reflected the geopolitical tensions in the region.

Migration and asylum policy in Europe

A central topic that could also play a role in the upcoming summit is migration. In their reactions to migration and asylum, the EU countries are currently very disagreed. While Southern European countries such as Greece and Italy are calling for a fairer distribution of migrants, Eastern European countries such as Poland and Hungary rely on foreclosure and pushbacks that violate EU law and the Geneva Convention on Refugee. Pushbacks are violent pushing back of migrants who are looking for protection at EU external borders.

The increase in migrants from Afghanistan Since the Taliban took over in the summer of 2021, this discussion further fueled. In recent years, an increasing willingness to foreclosure has been observed, while the EU was also to focus on human rights and asylum sayings. Dealing with refugees also shows unequal treatment: While Ukrainian war refugees are largely received with solidarity, migrants from other crisis regions are often exposed to harsh measures.

The upcoming summit in Tirana will not only contribute to the discussion of security policy concerns, but could also give decisive impulses for European migration policy, which should focus on both humanitarian and security -political aspects. The contrast between the political positions could hardly be clearer and requires urgent solutions at European level.