The Arraiolos Group, an informal forum of non-executive European Union (EU) heads of state founded by former Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio in 2003, is marking its 20th meeting in Tallinn. The forum, featuring participation from 12 presidents, is focused on two major themes: “Artificial Intelligence: An Ally and Accelerator, Not an Enemy” and “Global Security: Presidential Reflections on Emerging Threats and Future Perspectives”.
The gathering begins with an official dinner on Thursday night, followed by the first working session Friday morning, dedicated to artificial intelligence. During a working lunch, leaders will discuss the situation in Gaza and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict before the afternoon session on security and “leadership in troubled and anxious times”.
Addressing the current meeting, particularly the discussion on international security amid the war in Ukraine, the conflict in Gaza, and the “hybrid deployment of various threats,” the host President of Estonia, Alar Karis, emphasized the need for strengthening European defense in light of the “simultaneous emergence of diverse threats,” along with a reform of the UN.
“If we fail to defend and strengthen the international order, the politics of power will prevail, with smaller countries being marginalized and their voices losing the modest influence they once had. This is why my colleagues and I will also discuss the reform of the United Nations and the Security Council, the strengthening of Europe’s defense capacity, and the best ways to respond to the simultaneous emergence of diverse threats,” Karis stated, as quoted on the Estonian presidency’s website.
The Tallinn meeting includes 12 heads of state: in addition to Alar Karis and Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the Presidents of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen, Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, Finland, Alexander Stubb, Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Greece, Constantine Tassoulas, Italy, Sergio Mattarella, Latvia, Edgars Rinkevics, Poland, Karol Nawrocki, Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, and Slovenia, Natasa Musar, are confirmed to attend.
Ending his second term at the Palace of Belém—with presidential elections set for January 18, 2026—Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will participate for the last time in an Arraiolos Group meeting, his eighth, following meetings in Bulgaria (2016), Malta (2017), Latvia (2018), Greece (2019), Italy (2021), Malta (2022), and Porto (which he presided over in 2023).
The 2020 meeting, scheduled for Lisbon, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the Portuguese President did not attend the meeting in Poland, citing ongoing negotiations in Portugal for the 2025 State Budget.
The next Arraiolos Group meeting, with a new Portuguese President, is set to be held in Hungary in 2026.
