European defence, priority n°1 of the Polish presidency of the EU… in 2011

(BRUSSELS2) There are still 645 days left before the Poles take over the presidency of the European Union. Poland will preside over European destinies in the second half of 2. And they have already put forward some of their future priorities. The European committee of Polish Council of Ministers has just met, and the Council of Ministers should adopt, within a few days, the outline of these priorities, according to our colleague Jedrzej Bielecki of the daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, who details the content.

Why this rush

It must be said that the post of Minister for European Affairs is currently occupied by one of the best connoisseurs of the European environment there is. Mikolaj Dowgielewicz (who was press attaché for the Liberal and Democrat group in the European Parliament then spokesperson at the European Commission for Margot Wallström, the current Social Democrat Vice-President of the Commission, in charge of relations with citizens). And he, like the Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, the Foreign Minister, R. Sikorski, the Defense Minister, B. Klich, are serious supporters of European integration as well as the desire to see Poland regain a place of choice in the European concert.

Pami the Polish priorities, at the forefront ... strengthening the defense policy
European

« We want to get no less than what France got during its presidency explains Mikolaj Dowgielewicz. According to Dziennik, "Poland wants (thus) to convince its partners in the Union to strengthen the European Defense Agency in order to be able to jointly purchase the most expensive armaments. Which should include a fleet of strategic airlifters". She also wants to create a post of deputy to the High Representative, the head of European diplomacy, with the specific function of managing "European defense capabilities". A post with a high industrial aim.

The High Representative would sit at NATO...

The Poles do not stop there. They even propose that the new High Representative for EU foreign policy get "the right to sit on the North Atlantic Council". "In this way - they explain - the European Union would have more impact on NATO policy". And it will have to be a heavyweight! Concerning the person of the future High Representative, the Poles have very fixed ideas. In another interview, at Gazeta Wyborcza, Mikolaj Dowgielewicz pointed out that, “ This will be a key position (of the future Commission). (...) We need a heavyweight. (...) That person should therefore be a person close to our vision of a European foreign policy that puts us in partnership with the United States, and that (also) takes into account the vulnerability of our region, such as the issue of energy security. »

Energy policy, priority no. 2

Another priority of the Polish Presidency of the EU which also has an impact in terms of security: energy policy. Poland wants Europe to be well prepared for a possible Russian gas cut. The Union should build a system of gas interconnections, linking the
networks of all EU countries.