Message from the Presidents of the Sejm and of the Senate
Warszawa, 1 January 2025
‘Security, Europe!’ – the motto of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union – will be the leading theme of the meetings in the Sejm and the Senate. Participants
of events organised as part of the parliamentary dimension of the Presidency will discuss
how to strengthen European security in all its aspects: external, internal, economic, informational, energy, food, and health.
On 1 January 2025, Poland takes over the six-month Presidency of the Council of the EU. This is a significant moment. The European Union is facing challenges on an unprecedented scale. Democracy and international order are under threat. There is a war at our borders. Europe is plagued by economic and climate issues. The migration crisis remains unresolved. The European community stands on the brink of strategic decisions regarding further enlargement. Negotiation process with Ukraine and Moldova and the parliamentary dimension of the Eastern Partnership will take centre stage of the Polish Presidency.
The Sejm and the Senate of the Republic of Poland will play a key role during the Polish Presidency. It is here that European parliamentarians will meet to discuss the most pressing issues for the continent We cooperate with the European Parliament. We will be hosting participants of interparliamentary conferences and members of sectoral committees of the EU parliaments.
The years to come will be marked by crucial debates and decisions of fundamental importance for the future of the European project. If the Union is to overcome the problems
it is facing, public support for the proposed changes is essential. This is possible only on one condition: final decisions must be preceded by a broad discussion involving as many citizens of the Member States as possible. Only solutions developed in this way have a chance
to be widely accepted and put into practice.
Europe – its future, shape and values – is a shared topic and challenge for all Europeans. The democratically and directly elected parliaments are the natural environment to discuss these fundamental issues. This is what makes the parliamentary dimension of the Presidency
so important.
We would like the meetings hosted by the Sejm and the Senate to highlight key issues
for the European Union as a whole and come up with ways to address them. We want
the interparliamentary cooperation to set the tone for debates in the Member State
and at the EU level. We firmly believe that the results of these debates will strengthen
the democratic legitimacy of the European Union and enable it to face the challenges ahead.
This is how we perceive our role, and the role of all parliaments, during the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Message from the Presidents of the Sejm and of the Senate
Warszawa, 1 January 2025
‘Security, Europe!’ – the motto of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union – will be the leading theme of the meetings in the Sejm and the Senate. Participants
of events organised as part of the parliamentary dimension of the Presidency will discuss
how to strengthen European security in all its aspects: external, internal, economic, informational, energy, food, and health.
On 1 January 2025, Poland takes over the six-month Presidency of the Council of the EU. This is a significant moment. The European Union is facing challenges on an unprecedented scale. Democracy and international order are under threat. There is a war at our borders. Europe is plagued by economic and climate issues. The migration crisis remains unresolved. The European community stands on the brink of strategic decisions regarding further enlargement. Negotiation process with Ukraine and Moldova and the parliamentary dimension of the Eastern Partnership will take centre stage of the Polish Presidency.
The Sejm and the Senate of the Republic of Poland will play a key role during the Polish Presidency. It is here that European parliamentarians will meet to discuss the most pressing issues for the continent We cooperate with the European Parliament. We will be hosting participants of interparliamentary conferences and members of sectoral committees of the EU parliaments.
The years to come will be marked by crucial debates and decisions of fundamental importance for the future of the European project. If the Union is to overcome the problems
it is facing, public support for the proposed changes is essential. This is possible only on one condition: final decisions must be preceded by a broad discussion involving as many citizens of the Member States as possible. Only solutions developed in this way have a chance
to be widely accepted and put into practice.
Europe – its future, shape and values – is a shared topic and challenge for all Europeans. The democratically and directly elected parliaments are the natural environment to discuss these fundamental issues. This is what makes the parliamentary dimension of the Presidency
so important.
We would like the meetings hosted by the Sejm and the Senate to highlight key issues
for the European Union as a whole and come up with ways to address them. We want
the interparliamentary cooperation to set the tone for debates in the Member State
and at the EU level. We firmly believe that the results of these debates will strengthen
the democratic legitimacy of the European Union and enable it to face the challenges ahead.
This is how we perceive our role, and the role of all parliaments, during the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
/-/ Szymon Hołownia
/-/ Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska
/-/ Szymon Hołownia
/-/ Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska
Parliamentary dimension of the Polish Presidency
From 1 January to 30 June 2025, for the second time since the accession to the European Union, Poland holds the rotating six-month Presidency of the Council of the EU. Performing this function means that the Polish Government leads the work of the Council (with the exception of the Foreign Affairs Council) and its preparatory bodies as well as represents the Council in its relations with other EU institutions. During this period, the Sejm and the Senate hold the Presidency in parliamentary terms, i.e. they are jointly responsible for preparing and conducting interparliamentary meetings of national parliaments and the European Parliament.
The period following the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, which strengthened the role of national Parliaments and the European Parliament within the Union and provided the treaty basis for interparliamentary cooperation, also saw the development of interparliamentary bodies for cooperation on Union affairs, above all, the standing interparliamentary conferences. The parliaments of the countries holding Presidency of the Council host meetings of such conferences, sometimes jointly with the European Parliament. They may also organise other meetings significant from the Presidency perspective.
