Gdańsk Intergovernmental Summit: Deputy Minister Niemczycki talks international affairs
20.04.2026
On 20 April, the date chosen to mark the Polish-French Friendship Day according to the Treaty of Nancy, a first-ever Polish-French Intergovernmental Summit was held in Gdańsk, presided by Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Emmanuel Macron. The meeting inaugurated a series of annual intergovernmental summits aimed at setting strategic directions of cooperation.
The agenda focused on security, energy, building a strong, competitive, and secure Europe, and cultural cooperation.
Expert panel on foreign affairs
The summit included foreign affairs meetings attended by Ignacy Niemczycki, Secretary of State at the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Benjamin Haddad, France’s Minister Delegate for European Affairs, with respective delegations.
The ministers stressed the importance of tightened Polish–French cooperation for shaping a coherent and effective European policy.
We agreed that we have to leverage all opportunities and tools established by the Treaty of Nancy to further intensify and structure our political dialogue in all areas, also as social and cultural exchange is concerned
said deputy head of Polish diplomacy Ignacy Niemczycki to sum up the meeting.
Poland and France are ready for closer cooperation, most notably in security, which includes support for Ukraine and deterrence of Russia, and in EU policy, in such fields as the future Multiannual Financial Framework, the enlargement process as well as strengthening the common market and EU’s competitiveness.
Polish–French Friendship Day
Pursuant to the Treaty of Nancy, 20 April, which marks the enshrinement of Marie Skłodowska-Curie’s remains in the Panthéon in Paris (1995), was declared the Polish–French Friendship Day. The day not only celebrates our shared history and heritage but also highlights our shared vision of the future.
The Polish Nobel laureate continues to embody Polish–French scientific and cultural synergy and serves as an example of the potential stemming from a fusion of both nations’ experiences and traditions.
The 2027 cultural season
The Friendship Day is much more than cabinet diplomacy: multiple regional events in both Poland and France have been planned for the next year. This initiative is also a prelude to the Poland–France Cultural Season scheduled for 2027.
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Declaration signed at the 1st summit: https://www.gov.pl/web/premier/pierwszy-polsko-francuski-szczyt-miedzyrzadowy
Press release by the Government Information Centre: https://www.gov.pl/web/premier/przyjazn-polski-i-francji-jest-trwala-i-oparta-na-solidnych-fundamentach