Europeupdated 20m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 7 July 2025About 50 European Leaders Gather in Dublin for European Political Community Summit on Ukraine, AI
“Parents have been left feeling terrified after at least 300 schools received bomb threats that were deemed not to be credible.”
“The state has also been dealing with a number of bomb threats, which have been hoaxes, on schools and media organisations in recent days.”
Photo: 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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About 50 European leaders attend European Political Community summit in Dublin. Ukraine, AI and hybrid threats dominate; AI discussions mark first EU leaders' talk.
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Dublin EPC, Ukraine leads
About 50 European leaders are gathering at the Convention Centre Dublin for a meeting of the European Political Community on Thursday, with the theme "Europe – strong, secure, and connected." Prime Minister Andy Burnham is expected to attend as he seeks closer ties with Europe, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also expected to attend the EPC meeting. Taoiseach Michéal Martin said discussions for a European voice to represent the EU at US meetings with Russia on ending the war will "happen on the margins" of the summit.
The talks on AI will be the first such discussion among EU leaders, while leaders are also set to discuss economic security, Ukraine, hybrid activity in Europe and democratic resilience. The EPC was set up in 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and meets twice a year, with the Friday session set for an informal meeting of the European Council.
Security lockdown and hoax threats
Gardaí carried out the largest security and policing operation in the history of the state ahead of the EPC and informal meeting of the European Council, and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) will support Irish counterparts in policing the summit. Parts of Dublin city centre are closed off and there has been widespread traffic disruption, and the state has also been dealing with bomb threats that were hoaxes on schools and media organisations in recent days. At least 300 schools received bomb threats that were deemed not to be credible, and parents were left feeling terrified after some evacuations.
Over 5,000 gardaí have been deployed for the event and airspace was restricted as there are fears of drone threats. Taoiseach Micheál Martin told reporters, "We have to take the advice of our security authorities, An Garda Síochána in particular," as he urged schools to follow gardaí advice.
AI agenda and EU representation
On Friday, the leaders of the 27 EU member states are set to meet for an informal European Council session in Dublin, with AI and Ukraine due to dominate the event. Prof Geoffrey Hinton is among the speakers, and the EPC is an informal forum for European leaders to hold political and strategic discussions on issues of shared concern. Costa has agreed to discuss the creation of a potential EU envoy for the peace process on Friday, with an initial debate about the structure and mandate of the role.
The draft of the latest communique between the European Union and Britain has softened its tone significantly, including dropping a pledge to suspend deportations of foreign offenders in favor of talking about "closer coordination." Kushner told reporters, "If Europe can designate one person to speak on its behalf, that would be a bigger achievement than convincing the Russians to involve it in the negotiations," as US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff update Zelenskyy on talks with Vladimir Putin.
