On 1 July, in its eighth year of EU membership, Poland took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, which will be the first EU presidency for Poland. There is a common belief in the ‘Brussels Bubble’ that only after holding the presidency does a country become a “mature” and “genuine” member state – and Poland seems up to the task. The rest of Europe will watch with interest as Donald Tusk and his team lead the EU through the next six months of economic challenges and opportunities.
According to the official website, the Polish EU Presidency goals include:
Fostering economic growth through the development of the internal market.
Finalising the process of developing a single market, with special attention paid to the development of electronic services.
Improving conditions for small and medium enterprises as the keys to European economic growth.
Raising the quality of economic governance in the European Union.
Furthering EU enlargement.
Developing the relationship with the EU’s eastern neighbors through association agreements, creating free-trade areas and liberalising the visa regime.
“As we deserved once to become part of Europe, today Europe deserves our presidency. It will be a good presidency”, said the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk on the first day of the presidency.
Donald Tusk is current Polish prime minister and chairman of the Civil Platform Party that emerged from the Solidarity party after the fall of communism. He served as deputy speaker in parliament till 2011 and vice marshal of the Sejm. Tusk’s political position emphasises strong support for a free-market economy with minimal government interference and co-operative relationships with other member states
“Europe hopefully looks forward to the next 6 months, as Poland has become a symbol, an omen of hope, optimism, energy and the power of survival in hard times and amidst trouble tormenting the whole world”, said the prime minister. “Therefore, all I can say as a man honored to host this momentous ceremony is “thank you”, concluded Tusk.
Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)
