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The presidency presented its priorities in the area of the General Affairs Council and ministers held an exchange of views on the rule of law situation in Hungary, Portugal, Romania, and Slovenia.
Polish presidency comes in turbulent times. The risks are real, so our responsibilities are serious. We will work hard with other EU ministers in this Council on enlargement, EU-UK relations and launch the talks on the EU multiannual budget. EU enlargement is key and we are eager to accelerate this process, both in the eastern direction – Ukraine, Moldova – and the Western Balkans.
Adam Szłapka, Minister for the European Union of Poland
Presidency priorities
The Polish presidency presented the priorities for its term of office. The main priority is security in its 7 dimensions: external, internal, information, economic, energy, food, and health. In this context, the Polish presidency has established the following overall priorities for its semester:
defence and security
protection of people and borders
resistance to foreign integration and disinformation
ensuring security and freedom of business
energy transition
competitive and resilient agriculture
health security
As regards the General Affairs Council configuration, work will focus on safeguarding the rule of law, EU enlargement and internal reforms, countering foreign information manipulation and interference, strengthening the democratic resilience in the EU and its neighbourhood, developing cooperation with the UK, and laying ground for the negotiations of the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).
As part of the annual rule of law dialogue, ministers held an extensive exchange of views on the rule of law situation in Hungary, Portugal, Romania, and Slovenia.
This was the eleventh round of country-specific discussions after the ones held in November 2020, April and November 2021, April and December 2022, March and October 2023, and January, May, and November 2024.
During the debate and for each member state, the Commission presented the main findings of the respective country specific chapter in its 2024 rule of law report. The member state concerned then presented key national developments and particular aspects of their national rule of law framework. This was followed by a round of comments and questions in which other delegations had the opportunity to share their experiences and best practices in relation to the developments mentioned.
Another country-specific discussion is expected to take place at the General Affairs Council of 27 May 2025 focusing on Slovakia, Finland, Sweden, and Belgium.
The French delegation raised the issue of the integrity of electoral processes in Europe, particularly in the context of a growing threat of foreign interference.
The Czech delegation presented a non-paper underlining the importance of further advancing the gradual integration of Ukraine and Moldova in the EU’s single market.
