The European future in times of great change: Meeting of the presidents of the Arraiolos Group at Brdo pri Kranju

The European presidents of the Arraiolos Group will meet at Brdo pri Kranju from 15 to 16 October to discuss the future of the European Union, its security and resilience, as well as how the EU can preserve its political weight, unity and influence in an increasingly unpredictable world. The meeting will be hosted by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar.

Slovenia will be hosting the presidents without executive powers of those EU Member States that are members the informal Arraiolos Group, which has facilitated an open and in-depth exchange of views on key issues of European and international politics for over two decades. The meeting is taking place in Slovenia for the first time since the group was founded in 2003. The first meeting took place in the Portuguese town of Arraiolos at the initiative of the then President of Portugal, Jorge Sampaio. Since then, the meeting has been hosted by various EU Member States. Participants at the Brdo meeting will include the presidents of Italy, Austria, Germany, Latvia, Malta, Slovakia, Greece, Poland, Ireland, Portugal, Hungary and Estonia.

This year’s meeting takes place at a time when the EU is faced with deep geopolitical, security, economic and social . For this very reason, the central theme of the meeting will be "The European Union in a Time of Multiple Crises: Between Withdrawal and Perseverance". The discussion will focus on how the EU can adapt to new circumstances without losing the values ​​and principles upon which it was built: democracy, human rights, the rule of law, solidarity, cooperation, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.

The presidents will be seeking answers to questions that transcend individual national interests: what unites Europe today, how to strengthen its resilience and security, and how to ensure that the EU remains a self-confident and active player in international politics in the future. Special attention will be devoted to the future of European integration and Europe’s ability to preserve a space for peace, progress, democracy, and the dignity of the individual in a changing world.

A significant part of the meeting will also focus on multilateralism and the future of international institutions. The presidents will discuss how to maintain an effective international system at a time when the institutions established to ensure peace and cooperation among nations are under increasing pressure. 

The meeting will also address less frequently discussed issues of human security. In a private setting, the presidents will discuss the anxiety, uncertainty, and trauma generated by contemporary threats. Policymakers tend to significantly underestimate precisely these factors, although they are perhaps the most sensitive parts of the process by which disputes escalate into conflicts, whether ethnic or international. The focus will therefore be on the question of how policymakers can better take into account the study of these dimensions of human security when shaping the future. The findings of scientific research and reflections on these topics will be presented at outset of the meeting the by the renowned sociologist and philosopher Renata Salecl.

The Arraiolos Group meeting is thus not merely a polite gathering of heads of state. It is an opportunity to reflect upon the role Europe should play in a rapidly changing world, the kind of Europe we wish to leave to future generations, and what we might, but should not have, overlooked in our concern for Europe's future.

As part of the Arraiolos Group meeting, which she will host in Ljubljana and at Brdo pri Kranju on 15 and 16 October 2026, the President of the Republic of Slovenia will hold separate bilateral meetings with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Irish President Catherine Connolly. The meeting with President Steinmeier, whose term of office ends in March next year, will be a farewell meeting, while the meeting with the new Irish President will be their first.