site.bta“Security, Europe!”: Poland to assume rotating EU presidency from January

This article is based on content provided by agencies participating in the European Newsroom (ENR), including the Bulgarian News Agency.

On January 1, 2025, Poland will take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. At a pivotal time of geopolitical uncertainty, Poland intends to build its six-month mandate around the concept of EU security from multiple dimensions, under the motto “Security, Europe!”

The priorities that Warsaw wants to imprint on its mandate all revolve around the concept of security, in every sense of the word: external, internal, information, economic, energy, food and health security.

Polish Prime Minister and former President of the European Council Donald Tusk said that Warsaw would be presiding over the 27 EU member states in a challenging period. In this context, he particularly recalled the crises in Ukraine, the Middle East and the developments in Georgia. 

Upon presenting the presidency’s priorities last week, the head of the Permanent Representation of Poland to the EU, Agnieszka Bartol, explained that the presidency also intends to focus on strengthening the competitiveness of European companies, particularly in areas such as energy prices, with a focus on energy security and the reduction of red tape. 

The head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol, said earlier this month that the EU made three mistakes when it comes to the economy and energy: it became dependent on Russia, it gave up on nuclear energy and it allowed itself to be overtaken by China in the field of ​​green technologies.

Birol pointed to the clean industry strategy being prepared by the European Commission, which is expected to be presented within the first 100 days of its new term. This means that the discussion on it will take place during the Polish presidency.

On enlargement, Ambassador Bartol said that the presidency intends to take a balanced approach – particularly on the Western Balkans – adding that it is a geopolitical priority for Poland. 

Tusk’s Ukraine peace talks in the making

As Warsaw gears up to take over the EU presidency, it has been discussing the situation in Ukraine with various foreign officials.

Prime Minister Tusk said on Thursday (December 12) that he discussed with French President Emmanuel Macron the possibility of stationing foreign troops in Ukraine in case of a ceasefire, but that Warsaw was not currently “planning any such actions.”

Tusk said last week that Ukraine peace talks could begin “in the winter of this year.”

“Our (EU) presidency will notably be co-responsible for what the political landscape will look like, perhaps how the situation will look during (peace) negotiations,” he said.

Poland, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) – a 32-nation military alliance – is a staunch backer of neighbouring Ukraine and serves as a crucial logistics hub for Western military aid to Kyiv.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas recently said “we need peace in Ukraine in order to have peacekeeping missions” and added: “For that we need Russia to stop shelling, which they are not doing.”

“Before that, we have nothing to talk about. And of course, it’s to every single European country to make their decision whether they are using their troops in which processes,” the former Estonian prime minister added.

It is expected that Poland could play a significant role in the events surrounding Ukraine. In February, it will be three years since the start of the Russian aggression, and the plan is to adopt the sixteenth package of sanctions at this time, which should be very tough on Moscow and significantly hit Russia. 

Individual EU member states are also making efforts to boost Ukraine – but not without internal political struggle.

Caretaker Bulgarian Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev approached the country’s National Assembly for an express mandate to his government to sign a Security Cooperation Agreement with Ukraine, as approved by Bulgaria’s Council of Ministers on October 4.

However, the response in Parliament on December 18 was mostly negative, with some parties objecting to the procedure of seeking the mandate, while others objected to Bulgaria sharing armaments and resources with Ukraine.

Glavchev said on December 18 that he will sign a security cooperation agreement with Ukraine only if he receives approval from the National Assembly.

Ukraine’s EU membership on the horizon?

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the EU’s enlargement efforts gained momentum, with Ukraine making rapid progress ever since.

Under the Belgian EU presidency in the first half of 2024, the EU agreed on the official start of accession talks with Ukraine. Subsequently, the so-called screening began, a process between the European Commission and the candidate state in question, during which national legislation is assessed and areas of convergence with EU legislation – the so-called acquis – are identified.

Screening is a necessary prerequisite for opening the so-called clusters, which always include several accession chapters. It is possible that this screening will be completed during the Polish presidency. 

Next steps for Poland at the helm of the Council

The Polish EU presidency’s logo, the Polish flag combined with the letters ‘E’ and ‘U’, represents Poland’s commitment to the European Union, its 20 years of membership, its involvement in European affairs, and its ambition to set new directions for EU policies, in particular with regard to the continent’s security. 

The logo was designed by the famous Polish artist Jerzy Janiszewski, who also created the logo of the Solidarność (Solidarity) trade union movement founded in 1980.

The Council of the European Union, often referred to as the Council, is one of the EU’s main decision-making bodies. It represents the governments of the 27 EU member states and is made up of ministers from each country, meeting in different configurations depending on the policy area being discussed. 

The Council of the EU is not to be confused with the European Council, which brings together EU heads of state or government to set the EU’s overall political direction and priorities.

Every six months, an EU member state takes the helm of the Council to lead the policy discussions. While 2024 saw Belgium and Hungary preside over the Council, Poland and Denmark will do so in 2025.

The Polish presidency will be inaugurated with a concert in Warsaw on January 3, 2025. Meetings of ministers within the Council will also be organised in the capital – 23 informal meetings are to be held in the Warsaw Citadel. The second place for official meetings will be the National Stadium.

Editorial note: the paragraphs on Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s statements on peace negotiations with Ukraine have been updated.