Poland’s ambassador in Nicosia Marek Szczepanowski on Tuesday outlined the seven pillars of its country’s tenure as European Council president.
Speaking at an event at European Union House in Nicosia, he said the seven pillars are foreign affairs, the EU’s internal affairs, information issues, the economy, energy, food and health.
He began by speaking about foreign affairs, saying, “a Europe must be built which is ready to face any threats, especially from the east”.
He also stressed the need to “continue the support for Ukraine”, adding that this year will be “a decisive year” for the war in the country.
Then, he touched on the matters of irregular migration, the climate crisis and cybersecurity and disinformation, saying the EU “must be able to face hybrid threats”.
On the economy, he said there are 32 million businesses in the EU and that small and medium-sized businesses “must be helped to grow and become competitive”, while also calling for the bloc to have a “resilient agricultural sector”.
He then made reference to plans to boost mental healthcare, particularly among children and adolescents and to ensuring the safety of medicines.
Looking ahead to Poland’s six-month tenure as European Council president, he said his country will host a total of 22 informal European Council summits and over 300 events, conferences and workshops.
Cyprus’ European Affairs Deputy Minister Marilena Raouna also briefly spoke at the event, saying there is a need for there to be “a vision, close cooperation and solidarity” going forward,
“The EU can and will succeed,” she added.
Poland, Cyprus and Denmark in December submitted a joint working programme to the European Commission, creating a “trio” of presidencies, with Poland holding the presidency until June, Denmark taking over for the six months thereafter and Cyprus holding the presidency in the first half of next year.
Szczepanowski had spoken about this earlier in the month, saying the trio’s programme “has been carefully designed around the goals of a strong and secure Europe, a prosperous and competitive Europe and a free and democratic Europe”.
He added that the “trio” is “an example of power and diversity within the European Union”.
“The cooperation between Poland and Cyprus in particular offers a unique perspective, as both countries bring valuable experiences shaped by their different geographical positions and historical contexts,” he said.
To this end, he said that the two countries, “despite being geographically distant, face many similar challenges arising from their proximity to conflict zones”.
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