On 1 January, a new trio took up the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. Poland will hold the first presidency of the Polish-Danish-Cypriot trio, and it will be up to Poland to implement the objectives it has set in the joint programme. Below we look at the priorities and programme of the Polish presidency, including similarities with the previous Polish presidency and last year’s Hungarian presidency.
Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, Poland has strongly backed Ukraine. In addition to providing arms, ammunition and other combat-related aid to Ukraine, Poland has also taken in the largest number of Ukrainian refugees so far. According to the UNHCR, more than 1.9 million Ukrainian refugees had applied for asylum in the country by 14 January 2025. The Polish support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, mainly traceable to historical facts, has thus taken many forms over the last three years, and it was to be expected that if the war continues during the presidency, this rhetoric will be reflected in the programme and priorities set out during that time.
Poland takes over the presidency of the EU Council for the second time. During the first presidency in 2011, the Polish programme covered the EU’s economic growth, enlargement opportunities, neighbourhood policy, energy policy and energy security. The previous presidency’s motto “Secure Europe” is very similar to the 2025 slogan “Security, Europe!“. The similarities are also reflected in the priorities and the presidency’s programme. The 2025 Polish presidency will focus on strengthening the seven dimensions of European security, namely:
- Defence and security – enhancing defence preparedness, increasing military spending, strengthening the defence industry, addressing defence capability gaps. Rethinking EU defence funding, support for the defence industry, support for dual-use infrastructures such as East Shield and the Baltic Defence Line. Developing enhanced partnerships with NATO, non-EU countries, notably the US, UK, South Korea.
- Protecting people and borders – the highest possible level of internal security for European citizens must be ensured, therefore the Polish presidency has given itself the task of developing new solutions to manage migration and protect the EU’s external borders. In addition to the challenges of the Schengen area, the presidency will also focus on areas such as hybrid threats. The presidency will place a strong emphasis on civil protection, disaster resilience, rescue and humanitarian tasks, and capacity building for all of these. The presidency programme also includes stepping up the fight against transnational organised crime networks, terrorism and radicalisation, including the internal security threats posed by the Russian aggression against Ukraine.
- Resistance to foreign interference and disinformation – the Polish presidency considers it to be its task that the European Union and its member states strengthen their democratic resilience in order to curb radicalisation and polarisation. This requires the ability to detect and eliminate disinformation and foreign manipulation, but also long-term efforts in civic education and strengthening civil society. One of the priorities of the Polish presidency is to strengthen coordination in the fight against disinformation and information manipulation, and to improve the EU’s ability to prevent and mitigate hostile actions in cyberspace. The six-month period will also focus on the development of modern, secure digital services.
- Ensuring security and freedom to do business – the Polish presidency intends to take measures that will contribute to meeting the challenges of rapid technological change, energy and climate change and geopolitical tensions. This requires deepening the single market and removing obstacles to cross-border activities, which are particularly damaging in the services sector. Initiatives to improve access to private capital for businesses wishing to grow and invest will be promoted. Reducing red tape is also part of the Polish programme. They also want to focus on improving support mechanisms for industry in areas of importance for security and building economic advantage, while maintaining a level playing field within the EU. The restoration of fair competition for the EU’s industry is another goal set by Polish presidency officials. To achieve this, it is necessary to improve trade policy instruments and enforcement when individual goods enter EU markets. The Polish presidency is debating the future shape of cohesion policy, as it believes that the development of the single market should be accompanied by policies that promote security and economic competitiveness.
- Energy transition – energy security was already a priority for Poland in the 2011 programme, so in the current economic and geopolitical context it was to be expected that this area would be addressed again. Poland stresses that the reliability and security of energy supply is key to the EU’s energy security. During the presidency, Poland will continue to give priority to the complete withdrawal of Russian energy imports from the EU. It will take steps to reduce energy prices in the EU and revise the EU energy security framework to enhance the physical security and cyber security of energy infrastructure in the EU and its neighbourhood, and to ensure a level playing field for the development of all clean energy sources in the EU. Through all this, the Polish presidency aims to reduce dependency on imported technologies, the components needed to produce them and the critical raw materials needed to manufacture them.
- Competitive and resilient agriculture – just as Hungary did in the previous six months, the Polish presidency has made the development of the competitiveness and resilience of agriculture a priority. The Polish presidency wants to develop a strong and common agricultural policy in the EU that supports farmers and the development of rural areas. It wants to encourage farmers to take steps to protect the environment.
- Health safety – the Polish presidency plans to focus on the digital transformation of healthcare and the need to improve the safety of medicines in the EU, with a particular focus on patients’ concerns. Both diversifying the supply chains of medicines and supporting their production in the EU are key.
The priorities presented and the programme are therefore similar in many respects to those set out during the 2011 presidency. During the current term, there is a stronger focus on defence and security policy, as well as on economic issues such as agriculture, ensuring business freedom and EU competitiveness. However, of the seven priorities set, only two have objectives covering economic areas, with the emphasis predominantly on defence measures.
Poland’s economy started to grow in 2023 due to the economic downturn following the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2022. Annual GDP grew by 2.9% in 2024 compared to 2023, so most forecasts predict that 2025 could be similarly favourable for the Polish economy. However, growth still needs to pick up in a number of areas, and to this end the Polish government announced an investment programme worth PLN 650 billion (approximately HUF 62.8 trillion) in February 2025. The recovery programme includes the development of seaports and the modernisation of rail and energy infrastructure in the country. However, this does not change the huge deficit in the Polish budget, which the Polish government has not yet decided to correct.
