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.
