Agenda of the next EU Presidency - Energy, defense and economic security, in focus of the Polish leadership
Energy, defense and economic security will be the priorities of the European Union during the next six-month presidency of the Council, starting in January 2025.
Poland's ambassador Agnieszka Bartol presented an "ambitious" agenda to bring stability to a period of great change and challenges, including Donald Trump's arrival in the White House, a new EU commission and the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The Polish presidency aims to work on seven different dimensions of security, ranging from external and internal security, to competition, to food quality, critical medicines and affordable energy prices. Regarding the latter, the presidency aims to analyze how to reduce costs for businesses and citizens, with a clear focus on guaranteeing security of supply and diversifying energy.
In terms of internal and external security, the Council is expected to advance the protection of Europe's borders, cyber security, the fight against foreign interference and disinformation, as well as the growth of the bloc's defense industry. Mario Draghi's report on competitiveness estimated that the EU needs to mobilize an additional 500 billion euros for defense over the next decade to keep pace with competitors such as the US and China.
European defense spending reached a record €279 billion in 2023, but estimates show more money will be needed to fill funding gaps and invest in new projects such as the European Sky Shield. "The mentality has changed radically. Now we are talking about new funding for defense, which was taboo a few years ago," said Bartol.
Funds earmarked for defense in the 2021-2027 EU budget amount to around €10 billion and the next long-term EU budget, known as the Multiannual Financial Framework, will not start until 2028, with payments starting a year later in the most positive scenario.
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