In the opinion of Deputy Prime Minister Sikorski, the priorities of Ireland’s recently inaugurated presidency of the Council of the EU—competitiveness, European values, and European security—are ambitious and aligned with the current international conditions. The minister added that continued negotiations of the 2028–2034 multiannual financial framework will be one of the Irish presidency’s key tasks. He hoped that security will be included among the new EU budget’s priorities without detriment to the common agricultural policy, the cohesion policy, and other traditional policies.

During the meeting, Minister Sikorski stressed that Europe’s close relations with the United States are our best line of defence against Russia, hence Poland’s commitment to maintaining strong US engagement in Europe. He opined that Russia is not winning the war in Ukraine and found it necessary to continue supporting Kyiv militarily and putting pressure on Moscow, particularly through more sanctions.

Minister Sikorski said that Poland supports Ukraine’s EU membership, adding that the accession process must be based on the candidate country’s fulfilment of all the applicable criteria.  

As Ambassador Haughey’s mission in Poland is drawing to a close, Minister Sikorski thanked him for working actively towards strengthening Polish–Irish relations. Remembering how Poland became a member of the European Union when Ireland presided over it in the first half of 2004, the minister concluded that the Irish presidency holds positive connotations in Warsaw.

 

Photo: Jakub Kozłowski/MFA