“Security, Europe!” marks the beginning of the Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union—a message that clearly outlines the direction of the national leadership in the coming months. This subtle yet prestigious role has been held by Poland only one before in its history.
This makes it a highly significant event for the country, which appears to act with strategic precision through a dynamic and incisive program: Poland’s approach represents a strong departure from the previous Hungarian Presidency. Signaling a turning point for the next six months. The outcomes of Viktor Orbán’s presidency remain significant and will likely be remembered for a long time. Hungary’s highly controversial policies raised widespread concern, peaking with Orbán’s visit to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as Hungary’s repeated resistance to implement new sanctions on Russia and providing additional aid to Ukraine[1].
One of the key themes of Poland’s Presidency will be ‘security’, as emphasized in the slogan “Security, Europe!” – signaling a decisive break from the recent past. As Poland has stated, “Poland will support strengthened European security in all its dimensions: foreign, internal, informational, economic, energy, food and sanitary”[2].
Adopting this policy not only signals a significant perspective regarding Ukraine’s relationship with Russia, but also a new approach to the migration debate, which has long been a divisive issue within European institutions and has created numerous disagreements among national governments in recent years.
Tusk himself has emphasized this position with firm words: “I’m happy to see that fewer people are opposing our way of thinking when it comes to protecting national borders, and that more and more people share this vision. Not everyone is enthusiastic about these new Polish initiatives, such as the temporary suspension of the right to asylum—I know it is quite a divisive topic—but I want to reaffirm that Poland will continue to pursue this hardline approach in domestic policy. However, my ministers and I will strive to explain our ideas to everyone in Europe. We want them to understand that effectively protecting European borders against illegal migration, especially when instrumentalized by Russia and Belarus, is a shared responsibility. This is not something we should be fighting over, and I hope we can convince other countries of this as well”[3].
The situation appears quite thorny and could lead to numerous disagreements within the Union. However, it will be interesting to analyze the developments stemming from what has been announced at the start of this presidential semester. Despite being in contrast to the Hungarian Presidency, the Polish Presidency will share similar identity-driven dynamics while introducing a sense of renewed energy and dynamism. It will also be intriguing to observe how member countries navigate this period of significant internal tension within the Union, marked by institutional fragility and various national crises. These challenges could irreparably reshape the future EU, where Poland seems to be positioning itself in the front row.
[1] https://it.euronews.com/2024/12/31/consiglio-dellue-si-conclude-la-controversa-presidenza-ungherese-il-testimone-passa-alla-p
[2] https://it.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/01/01/la-polonia-inaugura-la-presidenza-del-consiglio-dellue-focus-sulla-sicurezza
[3] https://it.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/12/05/ue-tusk-promette-grandi-svolte-con-la-presidenza-polacca-del-consiglio-lincontro-con-metso
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Tiziano Sini
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EU Consiglio dell'Unione Europea polonia Ungheria Tusk Orban