Yesterday and today, the members of the European Commission, led by President von der Leyen, travelled to Gdańsk, in Poland, to mark the Polish presidency of the Council of the EU in the first semester of 2025.
Commissioners and Polish ministers met in plenary format and in thematic groups to exchange on the priorities of the Polish presidency of the Council, and on how the Commission and the Council will work together in the coming months to deliver on a European Union that is more secure and more competitive.
This morning, President von der Leyen and Prime Minister Tusk visited the European Solidarity Centre, an institution dedicated to preserving and promoting the legacy of the Solidarity movement, which was born in the city.
In the same venue, the President and Prime Minister Tusk held a press conference to close the visit. President von der Leyen underlined the complementarity between the priorities set out by the Polish presidency and many of the initiatives the Commission intends to put forward at the beginning of the mandate.
Security is the centrepiece of the Polish presidency, and President von der Leyen stressed the importance of embedding security into every European policy and action.
Especially on defence, the President stressed the need to act as the full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched by Vladimir Putin soon enters its fourth year: “More than ever, we have to spend more, we have to spend better, and we have to spend together. Modern warfare requires scale, technology and coordination – too big for any one of our Member States to handle alone. But this is where joining forces with European cooperation delivers,” she said.
She emphasised the need of public and private funding, better interoperability of gear and equipment, lower costs, more innovation, and simpler legislation. She also reminded that the Commission will present its White Paper on the Future of European Defence by mid-March, which will be the basis for discussion with EU Leaders and stakeholders.
Closely linked to security and defence, the President spoke of preparedness and addressing threats in all their different forms, including hybrid threats.
Poland has been under the pressure of hybrid attacks originating from Russia and Belarus, who have instrumentalised and exploited migrants, in cahoots with smugglers and criminal networks.
Those attacks are not only a Polish concern, the President said, but a European one. Only Europeans should decide who come to Europe and under what circumstances, and those that do not have the right to stay, should return home. That is why the Commission will present a proposal to accelerate returns.
The President also touched on the topic of competitiveness. Following the presentation of the Competitiveness Compass last week, she explained again the Compass’s focus areas, including closing the innovation gap, laying out a joint roadmap for competitiveness and decarbonisation, and making business faster and easier.
The President reiterated that Europe will stay the course on its path to climate neutrality by 2050, while striving for a strong and competitive economy: “The transition is needed. But on how we get there, on the way forward, we have to be flexible, we have to be pragmatic,” she said.
Later this month, the Commission will present the Clean Industrial Deal to bring support to energy-intensive industries and smart start-ups. Similarly, a Strategic Dialogue on the Future of the European Automotive Industry was launched last week, and the President announced that another dialogue with the steel industry will follow.
On the issue of making business easier, the President mentioned that also this month, an Omnibus package on simplification will be put forward to cut red tape.
Finally, the President referred to the relationship with the United States, as the new American administration starts its work. “There are jobs, businesses, industries here and in the US that rely on the transatlantic partnership. The whole trade volume between us is USD 1.5 trillion. We want to keep the transatlantic partnership strong,” she said, which is why the EU is ready to engage pragmatically, while at the same time it will continue to protect its own interests.
More information
- Remarks by President von der Leyen at the closing press conference
- Website of the Polish presidency of the Council of the EU
- Audiovisual coverage of the visit
Source – EU Commission
Statement by President von der Leyen at the joint press conference with Prime Minister Tusk on the occasion of the College visit to the Polish Presidency
Dear Donald,
Thank you for bringing us here to your hometown of Gdańsk. Indeed, the visit of European Solidarity Centre was truly inspiring. The brave men and women of Solidarność that led the peaceful transition to democracy stood against oppression imposed from Moscow so that their children could grow up in a free country. They anchored Poland to the democratic values of freedom, the rule of law and human rights — the very foundation of the European Union. And look at Poland now about to start its second Presidency in the European Union: This is truly the Gdańsk legacy that we see here, and this is where Poland reclaimed its rightful place in Europe.
Dear Donald,
You have made security the central theme of your Presidency, and rightly so. Since Russia brought war back to the European continent, security lies at the heart of everything we do. The threats we face are more complex and more diverse. The recent incidents in the Baltic Sea show that every piece of infrastructure is a potential target. Hence the need to embed the security dimension into every European policy and action. So let me begin with defence. This new political cycle marks the start of a new era in European defence. Over the three years of Putin’s war, we have ramped up our military production. But it is not enough, we have to do more.More than ever, we have to spend more, we have to spend better, and we have to spend together. Because Europe needs a surge in defence. Modern warfare requires scale, technology and coordination – too big for any one of our Member States to handle alone. But this is where joining forces with European cooperation delivers. We will need funding – both public and private; we will need more cooperation – for better interoperability and lower costs; simpler legislation, for instance on public procurement; and more innovation. Finally, if we spend billions of taxpayers’ money on defence, we need a return on investment in the form of more know-how and better jobs here in Europe. We, as the Commission, are preparing a White Paper on the future of European defence, and we will present it by mid-March.
My second point is on preparedness. Preparedness must guide us in all our actions to proactively address the full spectrum of threats. Building on the Niinistö report, we will soon propose a Preparedness Union Strategy. Because preparedness must be reflected in every policy. It also means tackling hybrid threats. I know that Poland is under great pressure from the hybrid attacks of the regime in Belarus and Russia. They cynically exploit human despair. They lure migrants to the border, with the cooperation of smugglers, traffickers and criminal networks. This is not just a bilateral issue for Poland alone to deal with. This is a European challenge, so it needs a European solution. Because it is for us, the Europeans, to decide who comes to Europe and under what circumstances. Not Lukashenko or Putin with the help of the smugglers and traffickers. Indeed, we have to increase the common funding for defence and the hybrid threats. And we have discussed at the informal European Council the possibility to give more space for national budgets to increase defence expenditure and fight hybrid threats. The second thought was that we might need common European funding. But we will also need more funding from the European Investment Bank, but also from the private banking sector. And indeed, as you said, Donald, in December, we provided extra funding for the border security in Poland. And during the Presidency, we will present a proposal to increase the support that is possible. But we also have to look at irregular migrants who have no right to stay in the EU, in case of a negative decision on their asylum application. They have to return home to their country. Here, we will present a proposal to speed up these returns.
My third point is on competitiveness. Security and competitiveness go hand in hand. A strong economy makes us more resilient to global shocks and less vulnerable to coercion or dependence. Last week, we launched the Competitiveness Compass – our strategic guide for the coming months and years. The first priority of the Compass is closing the innovation gap. We have very smart people, with breakthrough ideas but they have to get more access to the Single Market to scale up and more access to capital. Specifically, when it comes to artificial intelligence, we have to make sure that smart companies can really work with the European Single Market, our best and biggest asset.
The second priority is a joint roadmap for competitiveness and decarbonisation. And at its heart is the Clean Industrial Deal that we will present at the end of this month. It is about supporting energy-intensive industries, and it is also about supporting our smart start-ups so that they can be more successful with their breakthrough innovation products they are bringing to the market. But of course it is also about reducing energy costs. This must be the prime topic. We are working hard to increase low-carbon energy – that is renewables and nuclear energy – because it is homegrown. Renewable energy is creating good jobs here at home in Europe; it gives us energy security – that is important; it lowers the prices; and most importantly, it makes us independent, especially from Russian fossil fuel.
As you said Donald, on the goals, we stay firm, Europe stays the course on its climate neutrality goal by 2050. Because we all know that the young people, the next generation, our children, would never forgive us if we did not act now. The transition is needed. But on how we get there, on the way forward, we have to be flexible, we have to be pragmatic. This transition has never happened before, so we are all together learning a lot, and we have to adapt at the same time as we reach our goal with a strong economy, a strong industry and with a competitive European Union. We ask our industry what they need to go forward, we work with specific sectors. I have just launched a Strategic Dialogue with the automotive industry to also ask them what we can do, how we can support them so that we will reach their goals that we have set together. And I will soon do the same for the steel sector. Because it also faces specific challenges. It is under great pressure from energy costs to Chinese overcapacity flooding the European market. So we will start a strategic dialogue with the steel sector to really address in a focused manner what they need to reach our common goals.
The third priority is making business simpler and faster. This month, we will have a big simplification package, we call it the Omnibus, it is very important, it is the first in a whole series – we will have a whole fleet of omnibuses. The principle is cutting red tape. We have to make business in Europe faster and easier. We will also propose a Single Market Strategy to improve the functioning of our unique market for all industries. And we will launch a Union of Skills, we know that skilled labour is absolutely needed in the European Union, focusing on lifelong learning and skills retention. The Polish Presidency will play a key role in steering all these discussions – and I have not even named all of them – there is a lot to do, but I know it is in excellent hands.
Finally, dear Donald,
The Polish Presidency also coincides with the first six months of the new US administration. Our transatlantic partnership is fundamental to promoting peace, security and prosperity. But we also recognise potential challenges. There are jobs, businesses, industries here and in the US that rely on the transatlantic partnership. The whole trade volume between us is USD 1.5 trillion. We want to keep the transatlantic partnership strong. Not only because of our historic ties. But because it is simply smart business. So we are engaging, promoting a pragmatic agenda, and at the same time, we will be ready, if necessary, to protect our own interests. As you can see, the work ahead is immense. This is why I am so grateful to have you by my side and to be able to count on Poland’s European spirit.
Thank you so much.
Source – EU Commission
Transcript of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s speech
A warm welcome to everyone. Madam President, dear Ursula, welcome to the European Solidarity Centre, in my city. We have chosen this location deliberately, as we all recognise how crucial solidarity is today on a European scale. Solidarity between nations, between people who stand together and who also need our support. I am thinking above all about Ukraine, which is defending itself against Russian aggression.
Today’s meeting with the President of the Commission and the entire College, that is, all Commissioners and members of our Polish government, was dedicated to the work of our presidency. But this work is not just about procedures, technical matters, or regulations, and so on. It is deeply rooted in a very specific historical context, as I have no doubt—and I believe we all share this awareness—that we are living in times that are radically and rapidly reshaping the course of history.
The European Union must rise to the occasion in response to these changing circumstances. We discussed how to make the European Union stronger—this will also be the goal of Poland’s presidency and the Commission’s work—to ensure that the European Union and its member states are secure. As you know, security is the top priority of the Polish presidency. But not simply because someone decided it should be.
When we announced that security would be our priority, everyone—without exception—the President, the European institutions, and the leaders of European countries—all welcomed this priority. There is no doubt that this is one of those entirely new circumstances.
I was just telling the President that I still remember when, years ago, as Prime Minister, I led Poland’s first presidency of the European Union—back then, it would never have crossed anyone’s mind that Europe’s security could become an issue requiring special attention.
This shows how much circumstances have changed and how important it is today to incorporate flexibility, adaptability, and readiness to adjust our course where necessary into our daily work.
We discussed the most difficult issues. The backdrop to these discussions, as you know, included the demonstration we could hear outside the European Solidarity Centre. I also spoke about this—and every time I see how deeply people in Europe feel about our European decisions, it is clear that Europe, the European idea, the European Union, has long ceased to be an abstraction.
Our decisions affect the interests and daily lives of millions of people. That is why, if anything sparks genuine political emotions today—sometimes hope, sometimes concern—it is this great need.
People in Europe, people in Poland, want to know that the European Union exists to ensure their sense of security, that security is not—returning to that word—an abstraction. And regardless of whether they are farmers, workers, intellectuals, or students—it truly does not matter—security has become a universally desired value, regardless of where one lives in Europe. That is why it is so important that we align our actions with this priority, that we are not afraid to say: away with routine, away with unnecessary and excessive regulations, away with everything that stifles our energy, our entrepreneurship, and that could weaken not only individuals but also Europe as a whole in the face of the world around us.
Europe must be the strongest. Europe must be the most competitive, and people in Europe must feel the safest in the world. Here in Poland, we genuinely feel quite secure—it is a good place. I am convinced that, for many reasons, it is the best place on Earth. But I want everyone in Europe to feel the way Poles feel today in Warsaw or Gdańsk—safe.
We discussed issues that are, of course, the subject of intense debate and that also brought this group of demonstrators to Gdańsk today. The future of the Green Deal, the future of the Migration Pact, and the path to Ukraine’s accession—these are topics that, unexpectedly, have become part of even family discussions, as they have real consequences.
Our good decisions will have positive consequences for people. Mistakes, should we make them, will be felt in every Polish and European home.
I told the President, both as the rotating presidency and as the Prime Minister of the Polish government, that for us, security has a very practical dimension when it comes to protecting the eastern border. And since Poland’s eastern border is also the eastern border of the European Union, I want to thank you for the clear declaration that we will treat—this has already begun, but today we received confirmation—that the responsibilities of protecting this border are shared, not just Polish, but European.
We have already secured some funds, thanks in part to your support. We will remember that. Significant resources have been allocated for infrastructure along the eastern border. But I appreciate the assurance that the European Commission, and you personally, will remain committed to ensuring that Europe invests much more, and boldly, in securing its eastern land border, including infrastructure related to the so-called “East Shield.”
Today, we did not discuss… because, to be honest, and you know my view on this, from my perspective, it does not really matter—I understand that this is a difficult task for the Commission, among others—but from a Polish perspective, the choice of mechanisms for financing security projects is of secondary importance. I know that this debate will continue for some time in Europe. The specific funding model we choose is one thing. But what matters most is that we commit to financing defence needs, including securing the EU’s land border with Russia and Belarus.
The same applies to the protection of the Baltic Sea—and not just the Baltic, as North Sea countries are also beginning to discuss this issue with us. This is not only about countering the so-called “shadow fleet,” those suspicious vessels that have recently started to violate or damage our underwater infrastructure. The Baltic Sea will also— and I will continue to emphasise this—require not only NATO’s support, which we already have, but also concrete decisions regarding the protection of territorial waters of coastal states, particularly in areas where Russia is highly active.
The Migration Pact was not on the agenda of today’s College meeting, but I once again confirmed our position and appreciate the understanding shown. I am aware that European governments and institutions made a decision on the Migration Pact some time ago. However, the current circumstances are such that Poland, hosting nearly 2 million refugees from Ukraine, is in a unique situation. I recently stated this clearly to the Polish people, and I reiterated it today to the President. I am pleased that my argument was heard and understood—that Poland will not implement the Migration Pact in a way that would result in any additional migrant quotas in our country.
We are ready to cooperate with everyone in protecting Europe against illegal migration. However, Poland will not take on any further burdens. We have already shouldered more than anyone could have imagined just a few years ago.
Regarding the Green Deal and other climate protection measures, we have reaffirmed—something worth repeating here in our country as well—that our goals remain unchanged. Our planet needs protection. No one disputes that weather changes are directly responsible for disasters. Poland recently experienced such a disaster in the form of a massive flood. However, we are all aware that our efforts to protect the climate and environment must not harm the interests of families or citizens. They must not impose additional burdens that are unacceptable, incomprehensible, or that could directly threaten the competitiveness of European businesses, the standard of living of European families, or Europe’s competitiveness as a whole. This also applies to energy prices.
I will advocate for this at every European Council meeting. I am convinced that I will not be alone in this, and after our discussion today, I know I can count on the President of the Commission’s understanding. It may sound like a cliché, but what is needed are concrete decisions.
No decision can be made in Europe that would lead to a further increase in energy prices. We must all, without exception, focus on making decisions that will directly result in lowering energy prices.
If we do not lower energy prices, our ambition to be competitive against China or the United States will prove to be a complete illusion. There is no point in pretending otherwise any longer. We discussed this at length and will continue to explore various financial and investment solutions, as well as regulatory measures, to avoid the risk of rising prices. As I have said, our task is to lower energy costs.
We will undoubtedly have further debates on these matters. We will be quite persistent when it comes to security and competitiveness, in the sense that we want concrete action. That is part of our Gdańsk tradition—practical solutions. There must be action, and every slogan must be followed by tangible results. So, when we talk about security and competitiveness, we must find a smart way to manage resources, secure funding, and introduce decisions—including deregulatory measures—to simplify procedures in Europe, ensuring that our aspirations become reality.
Gdańsk is—and I always say this, as I told you today—a unique place. Here, the most improbable political dreams come true. We have experienced this for decades, and here, things always succeed when people believe in them.
We truly believe that Europe can be improved, that it can be reformed for the benefit of every citizen—not as an abstraction, not just for an idea, but for the safe and prosperous lives of all Europeans. That is what today’s discussion was really about.
Once again, thank you.
Source – Polish EU Presidency