EU hails Polish presidency as success despite challenges
European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen has praised Poland's presidency of the Council of the EU, describing it as "difficult, but successful."
Von der Leyen, along with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and European Council President Antonio Costa, summarised Poland's presidency, concluding on June 30, at a press conference following a summit of EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday.
"Your Presidency was challenging, but you delivered," von der Leyen addressed Tusk. She pointed to the legislative achievements during Poland's six-month term, noting that 37 legal acts were adopted and agreements among member states were reached on an additional 18 regulations. "Those are impressive figures," she commented.
The EC president also praised the swift agreement reached on the SAFE defence loan programme, which was finalised in a record 71 days.
Tusk expressed his satisfaction with the EU leaders' decision during Thursday's summit to extend all existing economic sanctions against Russia for another six months. He added that the bloc still needs to adopt a new 18th package of sanctions, which is expected to target, among other things, Russia's so-called shadow fleet. The prime minister confirmed that work on this issue would continue.
Tusk further noted that the final days of Poland's EU presidency also saw a significant rise of Polish influence within NATO. He cited the recent NATO summit, where alliance members committed to increasing defence spending to 5 percent of GDP, a target already established by Warsaw for 2026. (PAP)
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