One of Poland’s main objectives is the proactive engagement by the EU with its neighbours in the Southern and Eastern Neighbourhood. The Polish Presidency plans to revitalise the Eastern Partnership, with a summit planned at the end of September. Poland wants Europe to be open to its neighbours and the process of signing association agreements and free trade areas to continue. The Polish Presidency will pursue moving forward the negotiations on visa liberalisation. With regards to the EU relations with the Mediterranean countries, Poland will attempt to find “a European answer to the challenges from the South,” namely through the promotion of democracy and by applying country-specific approaches bolstering economic ties.

In terms of strengthening energy security, the Presidency will seek to push the agenda for the diversification of energy sources, and will insist on the need to engage in research for energy sources in Europe. The Polish Presidency will also be working to develop the internal market to further economic growth. In order to make full use of its potential, the Presidency is ready to “complete the single market” by better harmonising national e-commerce rules and areas of electronic services, and to improve conditions for small and medium-sized businesses.

The upcoming Presidency plans to use the EU’s budget for building a competitive Europe. The EU’s long-term budget for 2014-2020 is seen by Poland as the main tool to put Europe back on track. According to the Polish Government, the new EU budget should be an investment tool serving the implementation of the Europe 2020 Strategy and cohesion policy should remain a key policy of the Union.

The Polish Presidency is part of the Polish–Danish–Cypriot Trio Presidency. Further to the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon in 2009, three successive Council presidencies, known as presidency trios, started cooperating for an 18-month period to provide additional continuity by sharing common political programmes. The current trio consists of Spain, Belgium and Hungary. Ministers of state for EU affairs of the upcoming trio presidency met with their Spanish, Belgian, and Hungarian counterparts in Budapest to discuss the takeover of the Presidency and to facilitate, through consultation, a smooth assumption of responsibilities between the two trios. This will be the first handover between two trios.

The Minister of State for EU Affairs of the outgoing Hungarian Presidency, Enikő Győri, said she is convinced that “the EU will be stronger and cooperation between the member states will become deeper, by the end of the Hungarian Presidency… continuity, dynamism and stronger Europe will stay around for the whole of 2011.”

The new trio presidency reiterated their insistence on 2012 being the final date for creating a common European asylum system, and their determination to conclude negotiations by the end of the year. The current Hungarian Presidency welcomed this target and reassured its counterparts that it intends to conduct a meaningful debate on the reinforcement of the EU’s external borders, as well as on the reinforcement of the Frontex at the meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council which is taking place today. The new Presidency priorities of the next 18-month trio programme final version will be presented at the General Affairs Council meeting on 21 June.

In the coming weeks MEUSAC will be organising a public dialogue on the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU. During the event the priorities of the Polish Presidency will be presented by the Polish Ambassador to Malta, His Excellency Wojchiech Ponikiewksi. Further information about this activity will be available on MEUSAC’s official website www.meusac.gov.mt.

Ms Brenda Azzopardi is an Executive, EU Policy & Legislation, MEUSAC