Times must be hard in London: Brexit Britain wants to rejoin Europe’s political community.
According to two officials present at a meeting on Thursday, the United Kingdom told its European partners that Prime Minister Liz Truss is not only willing to attend the first gathering of the European Political Community in Prague next week, but that she is also willing to host the next summit in London.
The European Political Community is a nascent configuration of European countries whose leaders aim to meet regularly. The club, which will meet for the first time on October 6, includes the leaders of the EU, candidate countries such as Ukraine, the Western Balkans and Turkey, as well as neighbors that do not want to join the Union, such as Norway, Switzerland and the U.K.
It was first proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who touted the new club as a way for European leaders to discuss questions that affect their continent.
The U.K. made the announcement that it is willing to host the next meeting, which has not been reported before, at a closed-doors meeting of sherpas on Thursday, the two officials told POLITICO.
According to one of the officials, the U.K.’s sherpa also proposed to change the name of the club to “European Political Forum.”
The first meeting next week will focus on Russia’s war in Ukraine and energy security. A spokesperson for the U.K. government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
