Warsaw considers the six-month periodic presidency of the Council of the European Union as an opportunity in the context of the decline of the importance of the French-German axis, writes the Catalan newspaper “La Vanguardia”. However, the Swedish newspaper “Dagens Nyheter” stated that at the beginning of 2025, Europe has two reasons to celebrate – the first is the end of the embarrassing Hungarian presidency, and the second is the takeover of Poland.
Poland’s presidency in the Council of the European Union began on January 1 and will continue until the end of June. During this period, our country will be responsible, among other things, for setting the agenda of the meetings of its separate bodies and conducting negotiations between the member states. On Friday evening, the opening ceremony of the presidency of the Republic of Poland was held in the Grand Theater of Warsaw.
Chairman of the Polish Union Council. Flag of the campaign to welcome foreign guests in Warsaw PAP/Marsin Obara
The international press is commenting on the acquisition of the presidency of the Council of the European Union by Poland.
“Poland wants to be the leading force” of the European Union
The Spanish newspaper “La Vanguardia” pointed to the political crisis in France and Germany, the upcoming presidency of Donald Trump in the USA and the war, “Poland took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union in a period of uncertainty in Europe,” said the Spanish newspaper. in Ukraine.
The newspaper notes that the presidium does not contain any real power and is a technical function, but “it provides a symbol and visibility, and it allows Warsaw to strengthen its position as a new geopolitical engine of Europe.” He concludes that “Poland wants to be the leading force” of the European Union.
Poland presents a “stable political situation and dynamic economic development”.
The newspaper also wrote that Donald Tusk, the “liberal and pro-European” prime minister, is completely different from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose country has been the head of the Council of the European Union for the past six months.
Joanna Maria Stolarek of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, citing “La Vanguardia”, said “the French and German engine of Europe has stopped, while Poland, a large member state of the European Union, offers a stable political situation and rapid economic growth.”
“However, the belief that Poland can play a role as an important new player has not yet spread to Western Europe,” added Stolarek, who believes the EU should take advantage of Poland’s experience in the face of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and security challenges. to do
Donald Tusk at the official swearing-in ceremony of the Polish presidency in the European Union PAP/Leszek Szymanski
According to the Catalan newspaper, the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union “offers Poland a platform to promote its agenda and unite external leaders, but this goal may be undermined by internal politics.”
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Poland “brings with it a logo with a wonderfully nostalgic look”
But “Dagens Nyheter”, the biggest newspaper in Sweden, which wrote about the Polish presidency, mentioned that Donald Tusk is an experienced player in big politics, he was previously the head of the Polish government and the president of the European Council.
“Poland is one of the big European countries and the only country that has a strong position at the moment. Germany and France are immersed in internal political crises,” the newspaper writes.
According to Dagens Nyheter, “Tusk’s power to change the world should not be overestimated, but we should not underestimate the importance of entering 2025 with him at the helm.”
The entire speech of Donald Tusk at the swearing-in ceremony of the Polish presidency in the Council of the European UnionTVN24
The newspaper reminds that Poland has already brought about positive changes in Europe – the Polish Solidarity movement started a wave of freedom that broke down walls in the 90s, spread democracy and increased the number of EU members, as well as strengthened the market economy. .
“When Poland now assumes the presidency, it brings with it a logo with a strangely nostalgic look, which is not accidental. The graphic symbol was created by Jerzy Janiszewski, the author of the symbol of Solidarity,” the newspaper concludes.
Main photo source: PAP/Radek Pietruszka
