At the Summits, the EPP heads of state and government, party leaders in coalition governments and/or in opposition, the EPP Presidency and the Presidents of the European Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament, meet prior to the European Council Summits. These important sessions offer EPP leaders an informal and confidential setting to air their differences and seek consensus within the EPP family in an effort to develop common positions at the European Council.

In 2009, four summit meetings were held while the EPP was at the helm of the European Union with José Manuel Barroso as President of the European Commission; Hans-Gert Poettering, and from 1 September Jerzy Buzek, as President of the European Parliament; and Fredrik Reinfeldt as Prime Minister of Sweden chairing the EU presidency during the second half of the year, while Herman Van Rompuy was nominated in December as Presidium of the Consilium.

Recent discussions have focused on the global economic crisis, the safeguarding of our energy supply, the climate change challenge and the ratification and implementation of the Lisbon Treaty.