The heads of state of 10 EU countries are coming together for the Arraiolos Group format meeting this Thursday and Friday, October 9–10, and will mostly focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The heaviest traffic disruptions in central Tallinn are expected on Friday, mainly during the morning and evening rush hours, and the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) is urging people to plan their movements in advance and to avoid the city center area where possible, and to allow for extra time for unavoidable travel on those days. Toompea itself will even be restricted to pedestrians on the days the summit goes ahead, and the PPA is asking all to follow on-site traffic control instructions.

The flying of drones will also be subject to widespread restrictions on October 9-10.

Urmet Tambre, head of the security bureau at the PPA's Northern Prefecture, said the authority has been preparing for the summit for several months, and with around 200 officers involved in ensuring security: "We are protecting the summit participants and maintaining public order – we have considered various possible threat scenarios and prepared for them."

"We have also carefully planned traffic arrangements so that the presidents' movements are secure while causing as little disruption as possible to the daily lives of city residents," Tambre added, while Roberta Valtenberg, a spokesperson for Tallinn Transport Department, told Delfi that no unscheduled changes are planned with public transport, noting "if there are any stoppages, they will be short-term."

"The biggest traffic disruptions in the city center are due between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on October 9 and between 8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. on October 10," Valtenberg added.

Short-term street closures will be seen in the areas around Tallinn Airport, as well as Toompea and the city center, with the potential for traffic jams as a result.

From 3:00 p.m. on Thursday until 5:00 p.m. on Friday, parking will be forbidden on Piiskopi, Kohtu, Toom-Kooli, Rutu, Toom-Rüütli, and Kiriku põik streets (all on Toompea), as well as on Lossiplats and Kiriku plats, and the PPA is asking any local residents and people working in Toompea to take this into account and find alternative parking locations for that time-frame.

In addition to President of Estonia Alar Karis, the meeting will be attended by the following heads of state: Alexander Van der Bellen (Austria), Rumen Radev (Bulgaria), Frank-Walter Steinmeier (Germany), Constantine Tassoulas (Greece), Sergio Mattarella (Italy), Edgars Rinkevičs (Latvia), Karol Nawrocki (Poland), Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (Portugal), Peter Pellegrini (Slovakia) and Nataša Pirc Musar (Slovenia).

The heads of state will discuss the global risks and opportunities of AI, with President Karis emphasizing the importance of AI literacy in schools, as well as security issues stemming from Russia's aggression in Ukraine, the conflict in Gaza, and hybrid threats, the need for UN reform, strengthening Europe's defense, and preserving international order.

The meeting will start with a dinner to be held in cooperation with the Tallinn Digital Summit, concurrent with an international forum bringing experts, policymakers, and heads of tech firms together to discuss digital development and new tech. This will provide opportunities for high-level discussions on digital governance, which Estonia is a world leader in.

The Arraiolos Group, initiated by Portugal's President Jorge Sampaio in 2003, is an informal meeting format for European heads of state not involved in the European Council and named after the Portuguese city where the first meeting was held.

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