There are many arguments against the “European Political Community” founded in Prague, and almost all of them have been heard in the past few days: that the new format is a dead end for states that don't make it into the EU;
that there are other pan-European institutions such as the Council of Europe;
that without some degree of formal structure the matter will not have any clout.
There is something to all of this, and historical experience also speaks against this merger: the EU and NATO have largely asserted themselves as the dominant regulatory factors in Europe.
Putin only has Belarus
Nevertheless, the Prague summit of 44 countries was not a superfluous event.
Not only because of the war there are many issues that affect the whole of Europe.
It doesn't hurt if all (halfway) democratic countries try to come to an agreement.
The current composition was intended to deliberately isolate Russia, but that was certainly not a distortion of political realities on the continent.
Putin only has Belarus as an ally.
The new community goes back to French President Macron, who thinks more strategically than many in Berlin.
It would be a step forward if it gained more importance than the Mediterranean Union of his predecessor Sarkozy, which has led a shadowy existence.