50 leaders in Dublin for State's largest diplomatic event
Detailed summary
The largest diplomatic undertaking in Irish history gets under way this morning as Taoiseach Micheál Martin hosts the ninth European Political Community summit at the Convention…
The largest diplomatic undertaking in Irish history gets under way this morning as Taoiseach Micheál Martin hosts the ninth European Political Community summit at the Convention Centre Dublin.
The event is the logistical high point of Ireland's EU presidency and will be characterised by a massive security operation and traffic lockdown as the State prepares to welcome as many as 50 heads of state and government, as well as leaders of EU institutions.
Tensions around the summit have already been heightened by recent bomb scares affecting a number of Irish media outlets - including RTÉ - as well as a range of threats directed at European airlines, including Aer Lingus and Ryanair.
While there has been no conclusive evidence thus far, there are suspicions that the threats are part of Russia’s ongoing hybrid warfare efforts against European countries supporting Ukraine.
In September 2025, ahead of the last EPC meeting hosted by an EU member state, Copenhagen airport and a number of Danish military bases were subject to a range of unexplained drone attacks.
The EPC brings together over 50 EU and non-EU leaders arriving from all corners of the continent, from Iceland to Armenia.
Canadian prime minister Mark Carney will join the summit, as will NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
There will be seven leaders of EU institutions, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
The EPC format was conceived by French President Emmanuel Macron following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 as a way for EU and non-EU leaders to meet in an intimate setting in order to address common security and energy challenges.
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