Polish Presidency of the European Council: A Preview
Warsaw, Poland
Agenda
In April 2024, the PRINCEPS Executive Club held a session in Warsaw dedicated to exploring the upcoming Polish Presidency of the European Council, scheduled for 2025. Organised by the PRINCEPS Risk Intelligence Institute, the discussion brought together stakeholders from both the public and private sectors in Poland and the Czech Republic to reflect on the political and regulatory implications of the presidency, as well as the strategic opportunities it may offer for regional diplomacy and business.
Discussion
Keynote contributions were delivered by Vít Dostál, Executive Director of the Association for International Affairs (AMO), and Konrad Szymański, former Polish Minister for European Affairs and long-time expert on EU politics. Both speakers brought deep insight into the inner workings of European institutions and the positioning of Central European states within the EU policy-making framework.
Dostál offered a regional perspective, underlining the importance of strategic coordination among Central European countries during the Presidency and its potential for shaping regional priorities. Szymański provided a view from inside EU decision-making, drawing on his experience in both Brussels and Warsaw to analyse how Poland can navigate the rotating presidency to build influence, while also balancing domestic political pressures and regulatory obligations.
The discussion explored key policy areas likely to dominate Poland’s presidency agenda, including energy security, migration, digital regulation, and the future of EU enlargement. Participants considered how businesses in the region should prepare for possible legislative shifts, diplomatic initiatives, and regulatory changes that may arise over the course of the Presidency. The dialogue also highlighted the strategic role of the Presidency in strengthening Poland’s political capital within the EU and in reinforcing the voice of the CEE region in broader European debates.
Featured speakers
Vít Dostál is the Executive Director of the Association for International Affairs (AMO), where he focuses on Czech foreign and European policy, Central European cooperation, and Polish domestic and foreign affairs. He has been with AMO since 2006 and has authored or edited numerous publications on Czech diplomacy and regional cooperation. Vít frequently represents AMO at international conferences and in the media. He holds a PhD in European Studies from Masaryk University in Brno, where he defended his dissertation on the paradiplomacy of Czech regions.
Vít Dostál
Executive Director, Amo
Konrad Szymański is a Polish politician and expert on European affairs. He served as Poland’s Minister for European Affairs from 2015 to 2022 and represented the country at European Council meetings as the Prime Minister’s plenipotentiary. From 2004 to 2014, he was a Member of the European Parliament for the Law and Justice Party, where he sat on the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Industry, Research and Energy. He previously worked as editor-in-chief of Międzynarodowy Przegląd Polityczny and held advisory roles within the Chancellery of the Sejm and the Council of Europe.
Konrad Szymański
Former Polish Minister for European Affairs