On Thursday 5 December, during a visit to Warsaw by the presidents of the European Parliament’s political groups and the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, the Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, said he hopes that the Polish Presidency of the EU Council, which begins on 1 January, will be an innovative one.
“We will be cooperating with you on the Polish Presidency starting the 1 January. You, the European Parliament and the groups will be one of the main partners and I hope that the Polish Presidency will be innovative in many areas”, explained Mr Tusk alongside Ms Metsola.
Mr Tusk pointed out that the Presidency would be taking place “against the backdrop of such major challenges as the Russian-Ukrainian war, political destabilisation around and in Europe”, such as Georgia, Syria and South Korea, “and the new geopolitical challenges arising from them”. “We will work together for a secure and prosperous Europe at a difficult and critical time in history”, he promised. Poland has chosen security as the central theme of its Presidency, based around seven pillars: defence, internal security, information security, food security, energy security, health security and economic security.
Ms Metsola welcomed this choice of theme. In her view, “the time for geopolitical outsourcing is over, and we need to be less dependent on others for supplies of raw materials, energy and so on”.
“On Ukraine, as we enter the third year, we need to show unity and not be tired”, Ms Metsola reiterated, adding that the level of preparation had to match the level of threat. She said she hoped that more Member States would follow Poland’s example in supporting Ukraine.
Ms Metsola also called for greater investment in defence. “The forthcoming proposal and negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework will be crucial. We need to ensure cooperation, interoperability and avoid duplication”, she stressed. And she added that it was necessary to strengthen the industrial base and make a concerted effort, because “this is the only way to have a strengthened and resilient European defence”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)