Britain’s next prime minister, widely expected to be Liz Truss, will be invited to join other leaders across Europe at a summit in Prague on October 6 to create a European Political Community, a body dedicated to promoting security across the continent. Charles Michel, president of the European Council, said he had no doubt the UK would be invited to the Czech capital despite “difficulties” over the Northern Ireland protocol. Speaking in an interview with the Guardian and other European media, he said it was clear the UK needed to be there. Michel said: “Even if we have discussions and difficulties about it [NI protocol] theme; in the larger perspective, there is no doubt that we are friends and that we should continue to act together.” Michel is a close political ally of French President Emmanuel Macron, who in May outlined the idea of a European Political Community that would include all the continent’s democracies, including Ukraine and other EU candidates in the Western Balkans. If Conservative Party members put Truss in No 10, as polls widely predict, her response to the invitation will be an early sign of her stance on Europe. As foreign secretary, Truss made a speech about Britain’s allies that avoided mentioning the European Union. During the Tory leadership race, he surprised and dismayed British diplomats when he said “the jury is still out” on whether Macron was a friend or foe of the UK. Michel, a former prime minister of Belgium, struck a similar tone to the French president, who said he would not hesitate for a second to describe Britain as a friend. “The UK is a friend, a partner, a like-minded partner,” Michel said. The invitation to a gathering of European leaders on October 6 – immediately after the Tory party conference – contrasts with an earlier decision not to invite Boris Johnson to an EU summit attended by Joe Biden earlier this year. While EU diplomats agree on inviting Britain to the gathering, the issue of Turkey’s membership is more contentious. Greece and Cyprus, embroiled in long-running disputes with Ankara, oppose the invitation of Turkey, which remains an official candidate for EU membership, although talks have stalled for years. Michel said the EU should invite Turkey, but that he wanted to “make sure there is support from all colleagues”. The rest of the guest list is clear: there will be invitations to Norway and Switzerland, non-EU countries deeply integrated into the single market, as well as nine countries hoping to join the EU, including Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and six western Balkan states, plus non-candidates Armenia and Azerbaijan. While there were concerns that the European Political Community could simply copy existing pan-European bodies such as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Michel suggested that leaders wanted an informal and “very flexible” body, which it will look like the G7. or the G20. He said: “We don’t want a complicated structure.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The war in Ukraine has put security at the top of the agenda for the fledgling body, but Macron has also suggested the body could promote the free movement of young people, as well as joint work on transport and energy. The invitation to the Prague summit does not signal any change by the EU to the disputed Northern Ireland protocol. EU officials are pessimistic about the recovery of relations by the two prime ministerial contenders, especially Truss, the architect of a bill to unilaterally bypass the protocol. Michel, who is not involved in the talks on the Northern Ireland protocol, said he expected the UK to maintain the agreement signed in 2019. “I think there are so many difficult challenges in the world. We don’t need extra difficulties. Our position is very clear: we have an agreement with the United Kingdom and we are confident that a great democracy will respect the international rule of law.” Repeating the Latin formula beloved of EU officials, which is a fundamental principle of international law, he added: pacta sunt servanda, agreements must be kept.
