As reported by the Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk during a press conference in Warsaw on the YouTube channel

Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of Poland, summarized the results of the country’s six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union. He noted that during this period, the EU focused on security issues and combating illegal migration.

Tusk shared this information during a press conference in Warsaw held after the European Council meeting. He emphasized that Poland’s presidency marked a “turning point,” as Europe took on greater responsibility for its security and defense capabilities.

“The European Union was created as a grand dream of a continent without war, without confrontation, without the need for force. The European Union was a response to war and expressed Europeans’ belief that war would never happen again. Do you know how difficult it was to break this paradigm? This naive European faith?”

– Donald Tusk

Tusk also noted that Poland succeeded in convincing Europe of the need for bold and unprecedented decisions to ensure the continent’s security in today’s geopolitical conditions.

Among the key achievements of the Polish presidency, he highlighted:

the decision to allocate €150 billion to the SAFE program;
the launch of the European Defence Industrial Programme (EDIP);
the development of the ReArm Europe plan;
securing European support for the “Eastern Shield” project.

Additionally, Tusk stressed that Poland managed to draw the attention of other EU countries to the issue of illegal migration during its presidency.

“The Polish presidency also made all our partners understand that the time has come when the European Union, or Europe as such, must start thinking about itself also in terms of the ability to defend itself, control its territory, and control its borders.”

– Donald Tusk

At the same time, Tusk did not mention the ongoing process of opening the first cluster of negotiations on Ukraine’s EU membership, which is being blocked by Hungary, nor the 18th EU sanctions package against Russia, the implementation of which is being delayed by Slovakia.

From July 1, 2025, the presidency of the Council of the European Union will pass to Denmark and will last until the end of the year.