The main task of the current Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union will be to keep Europe united, move forward and take rapid decisions

At the February plenary session, the European Economic and Social Committee held a debate on the Polish EU Presidency priorities with Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, Polish Undersecretary of State for European Union Affairs.

Referring to the EU’s external security and, in particular, to the war of aggression against Ukraine, Ms Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said: ‘Our objective is to keep the help to Ukraine going and maintain unity inside the EU.’ She mentioned the 16th package of sanctions against Russia as one of the initial achievements of the Polish Presidency.

EESC President Oliver Röpke stressed that Poland was taking over the rotating EU presidency at a time beset by difficult challenges such as geopolitical tensions and energy crises.

He added that ‘today’s debate has reaffirmed the critical importance of stability, resilience and unity in shaping the future of the European Union. The Polish Presidency’s priorities align closely with our collective ambitions, particularly in fostering a multi-dimensional approach to security. At a time of global uncertainty, our commitment to decisive and cooperative action remains unwavering.’

Following the slogan ‘Security, Europe!’, the Polish EU Presidency will work on seven dimensions of security – external, internal, economic, food, energy, health and information.

In the past few past months, the cooperation between the Committee and the Polish Presidency has been strong and productive. The EESC has drawn up 15 exploratory opinions, which have already been adopted or will be soon. (mp)