International

Correspondence Dan Alexe // The Presidency of Poland and a pro-EU agenda

"Our future is in our hands, not in those of the Chinese or Americans, and we should not be afraid," said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk before the European Parliament when presenting his country's priorities for the six months of Poland's presidency of the EU Council. Under the motto "Security—Europe!" Warsaw has chosen to place security and defense at its European agenda. Poland's EU presidency in the first half of 2025 will focus on the integration of Ukraine and the enlargement of the EU, strengthening EU-US relations, rebuilding Ukraine after the war, and ensuring energy security in the EU.

Both Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Polish President Andrzej Duda announced that a key priority of Poland's presidency of the EU at the beginning of 2025 will be the European integration of Ukraine and maintaining an "open door to Europe" policy for new members.

"The question of how to act so that Ukraine survives not only the terrible aggression from Russia, which it is currently facing, but also how to act so that Ukraine is accepted into the EU as soon as possible, has been raised repeatedly," Duda said.

Other leaders, including the President of Estonia, who will collaborate with Poland, echoed the call for supporting Ukraine and making efforts to expand the EU to include Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, and the Western Balkans.

The European Union granted Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova candidate status in June 2022, and EU leaders agreed last December to open accession discussions with the two aspiring members.

Poland will preside over the EU Council from January to June 2025, taking over the six-month presidency from Hungary.

Hungarian Prime Minister and Budapest's top diplomat, Peter Szijjarto have repeatedly frustrated their European colleagues by obstructing assistance for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, while also claiming that arming Kyiv will lead to "escalation" and prolongation of the war.

After Viktor Orban, who has become the black sheep of the EU, regularly attacked the "bureaucrats in Brussels," the Polish presidency comes as a restoration of normalcy in the EU.

Dan Alexe

Dan Alexe

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