Key facts
- Draft declaration says any matter affecting European security should be decided with the Europeans.
- Text says the path to peace in Ukraine should be decided with Ukraine.
- Signatories back sovereign equality of states, inviolability of borders and the right to choose alliances.
- Draft says future developments in European strategic stability are conditional on the war in Ukraine concluding.
- The total number of signatory states was still to be finalised, according to the draft.
About 40 countries were expected to say on Thursday, November 12, 2026, that any matter affecting European security should be decided with the Europeans, according to a draft declaration on key principles of European security seen by Reuters. The total number of signatory states was still to be finalised.
The declaration was initiated by France's foreign minister and came as European leaders gathered for a summit in Dublin. The draft said the signatory states recall that the path to peace in Ukraine should be decided with Ukraine, and that Ukraine's security is an integral part of Euro-atlantic security.
The text said future developments in European strategic stability would be conditional upon the conclusion of the war in Ukraine. It listed principles including respect for the sovereign equality of states, the inviolability of borders and the right to choose whether to participate in alliances, as well as a commitment to human rights.
"International law and the Charter of the United Nations are the cornerstone of this Declaration," the draft said. The signatories also backed discussions on further risk management and reduction mechanisms contributing to stability in Europe, once conditions are met and peace is restored.
French President Emmanuel Macron, arriving at the European Political Community summit in Dublin, said the declaration was extremely important because it builds on work done over the past decade. "But it also recognises the need for a wake-up call, for this broader Europe to act together," he said.