Poland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2025: Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ priorities and activities

Poland's chief diplomat Radosław Sikorski is the only foreign minister to head the MFA for the second time throughout a Polish Presidency of the Council. Poland first took up the reins in the Council of the EU in the first half of 2011, and that Presidency was coordinated by the foreign ministry. Set to begin on 1 January 2025, the incoming Presidency will take place in a highly intricate international setting, encompassing among other things the ongoing war in Ukraine, growing geopolitical tensions, including in the Middle East, mounting hybrid threats, and disinformation. Poland's top diplomat declared that he will be pursuing the priorities of the Polish Presidency in close cooperation with the EU's new leaders, in particular High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius.

The activities under Poland's second Presidency of the Council of the EU are coordinated by the Chancellery of the Prime Minister. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for the substantive servicing of 945 meetings, including sessions of 38 working groups and committees at the Council of the EU in Brussels and meetings in Poland. The Ministry will be conveying information about the Presidency to audiences across the globe through a network of Poland's foreign missions. Minister Sikorski stressed the crucial role of the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Poland to the European Union in Brussels in preparing and holding the Presidency. "That is why we have temporarily reinforced the mission with nearly 150 secondees from Polish ministries as well as from EU institutions. Additionally, a total of 14 employees have been seconded to 11 other foreign missions. We have also reinforced the staffing of the Polish Embassy in Teheran. The Embassy will function as the local Presidency in the absence of an EU Delegation in that location. Moreover, we are resuming the work of the Polish Embassy in Pyongyang, also as a potential future representation of the EU," the minister said.

As one of its tasks, the Presidency will organise a number of informal events in Poland, from the meetings of the Council's different configurations to external sessions of working groups and conferences. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for 42 out of a total of some 300 external meetings to be held in Poland, mostly in Warsaw. These include two informal Foreign Affairs Council meetings. One of them, planned as a Gymnich meeting, will be attended by heads of EU member states' diplomacies and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The second informal FAC meeting will bring together ministers in charge of development policies. Minister Sikorski pointed out that Poland will also host meetings of two other major EU bodies, namely the Political and Security Committee (PSC), which consists of ambassadorial representatives of EU member states, and the Committee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management (CivCom). Another noteworthy event will be a conference on European policies and Europe's place in the debate on shaping the global order, co-organised with the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Poland's top diplomat said that Poland is looking to use the Presidency to strengthen its position as one of the most important and active EU member states. "We will be seeking to enhance Poland's standing and policy narrative in the Union and elsewhere in the world," Minister Sikorski declared as he spoke about the Ministry's priorities and major initiatives for the incoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Political, military, and financial support for Ukraine

Minister Sikorski highlighted that the Polish Presidency will strive after a lasting and unwavering political, military, and financial EU support for Ukraine and its reconstruction and a growing pressure on Russia and its backers in order to end the ongoing aggression as soon as possible. Poland will seek to strengthen EU mission in support of Ukraine both in its military (EUMAM Ukraine) and civilian (EUAM Ukraine) dimension.

EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus

The head of Polish diplomacy listed enhancing the European Union sanctions against Russia and Belarus and the fight against their circumvention as another goal of the Polish Presidency. Minister Sikorski announced that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with EU Sanctions Envoy David O'Sullivan will organise a conference devoted to the Challenges of the Sanctions Policy (on 25 February 2025). The Polish Presidency will seek to hold Russia legally and financially responsible for its aggression against Ukraine. The MFA chief highlighted that Russia must pay a high price, also literally, for its aggression. Poland will seek the support of EU member states for the full use of the frozen assets of Russia's Central Bank to support Ukraine.

The head of Polish diplomacy pointed out that Poland will support the continuation of the "no business as usual" policy towards Russia and Belarus and opposing to the election of the two countries to the bodies of international organisations. An important event organised during the Polish Presidency will be the Kościuszko Forum, which will constitute Poland's offer of creating a platform for debate on the history and future of the community of European nations, addressed to the representatives of the Belarusian civil society.

EU enlargement to the East and the South

Minister Sikorski added that during the incoming Presidency, Poland will ensure a proper speed and quality of the enlargement of the European Union to the East and the South. "Our goal is to make progress in relation to Ukraine, Moldova, as well as the Western Balkans. Progress in the accession process should be commensurate with the involvement of EU candidate countries. Furthermore, the Polish Presidency will support the pro-European aspirations of the Georgian society. We count on the reversal of the anti-European trend that was imposed on Georgia by the Georgian Dream party, which came to power following parliamentary elections of dubious standards. We would also like the European Union and Türkiye to take concrete steps towards a rapprochement. Türkiye is our very important, strategic partner, not only in matters relating to security, but also economy," added the chief of the Polish MFA.

Reinvigoration of Eastern Partnership

In 2009, it was Minister Sikorski and Carl Bildt, the then head of Swedish diplomacy, who initiated the Eastern Partnership. Minister Sikorski announced that the Polish Presidency will work towards updating and reinvigorating the format: "These efforts will be aimed at ensuring that the Partnership becomes complementary to the enlargement process, has a stronger impact on pro-European reforms in countries that do not aspire to join the EU, and puts a greater emphasis on security and combatting hybrid threats. We will also emphasise strengthening economic cooperation. To that end, we will host in Warsaw an Eastern Partnership Business Forum (on 16 April 2025)."

Strengthening EU security and resilience

"Strengthening EU security and resilience will be a priority of the Polish Presidency. This activity is multidimensional. It is not only about military security, but also migratory and economic one, food security, and resilience to disinformation," announced Minister Sikorski, pointing out that the development of EU's defence dimension will be a very concrete part of the Polish Presidency programme. "We wish to build, together with member states and the European Commission, a Europe that is capable of physically facing the threats to its security that nowadays come mostly from the East. Also in the sense of ensuring appropriate industrial production for the defence industry. Our goal will be to strive to make use of EU support instruments for creating defence infrastructure such as the East Shield," explained the Polish foreign minister.

Stepping up EU-NATO cooperation and countering disinformation

Minister Sikorski has declared that Poland will work to deepen the EU-NATO cooperation and enhance the complementarity of EU actions with those by NATO. "We will act to improve the non-military security and resilience of the EU and its eastern neighbourhood. The work will focus on strengthening resilience and response to cyber, hybrid, and terrorist threats; deepening crisis management cooperation; enhancing the EU's strategic communications capabilities and countering foreign, especially Russian, interference and disinformation," emphasised Minister Sikorski. In addition, the Polish Presidency will push for the establishment of a European Council for Resilience against Disinformation (ROD). It is to be an independent institution, funded by the EU and member states. Its purpose will be to protect against foreign interference and disinformation and to monitor the information space.

EU cooperation with global partners

At the press conference, Minister Sikorski also announced that the Presidency will support the deepening of transatlantic relations (EU-US) in the context of continued dialogue on global issues, including China and the Indo-Pacific region, and in the field of security and defence, energy policy, and new technologies. Within the overall framework of EU-UK relations, the Polish Presidency will support their deepening in the area of security and defence. In terms of relations with other EU partners, the Presidency will aim to stop escalation in the Middle East, provide humanitarian assistance to civilians, and stabilise the situation across the region. The Polish Presidency will support cooperation with the countries of the Indo-Pacific. Poland's chief diplomat also announced that the Presidency will promote the development of a comprehensive EU partnership with Africa and relations with Latin America and the Caribbean.

Ensuring adherence to international law and respect for human rights

Minister Sikorski announced that the Polish Presidency will continue to promote adherence to international law and respect for human rights, aiming to strengthen the EU's influence within the multilateral system. This will include cooperation between the EU and the Council of Europe, including in the context of the international community's legal response to Russian aggression against Ukraine. In the area of development cooperation and humanitarian aid, the Presidency will focus on building the resilience of countries and societies to crises.