Poland is taking the lead in the European Union, taking over the presidency of the European Council from Hungary at the beginning of January. The first half of 2025 has been marked by revolutionary political changes. Europe has received a clear signal from the United States that it must completely rethink its approaches in security, defense, trade, green policies, and competitiveness. Poland aspires to assume the role of an EU leader and guide the Union in negotiations with the Americans — and by extension, with the Ukrainians and the Russians.

Key takeaways:

• Poland will hold the presidency of the European Council in the first half of 2025. The country has chosen security as its main theme, particularly in terms of defense and energy.
• Warsaw has identified its priorities as strengthening defense capabilities, rearmament, the war in Ukraine, EU enlargement, and revising Brussels’ green policies.
• Europe is losing its competitiveness in both diplomacy and trade; it remains on the sidelines during negotiations over the Russia-Ukraine ceasefire. At the same time, countries fear the impact of U.S. tariffs.

Analysis –Irena Krcháková

The analysis is in PDF under the link below.