For the second time since becoming a member of the European Union, Poland will assume the Presidency of the EU starting from the first day of 2025. The country will take over from Hungary and will hand over the leadership to Denmark after six months, which will lead the EU in the second half of the year.
Along with other priorities such as the security of the European bloc, border protection, energy, and migration, Poland will also prioritize the enlargement of the European Union. This has been confirmed by several senior Polish officials during meetings where they outlined their priorities for the six-month presidency.
Hungary, which completed its presidency at the end of 2024, also considers it has achieved significant success in the enlargement process, a view shared by some EU diplomats.
At the end of its presidency, Hungary managed to broker an agreement in the European Council for the opening of several chapters in the accession negotiations with Albania and the closing of several chapters in Montenegro’s EU membership talks. This was seen as a success and evidence that the enlargement process is entering a more dynamic phase, and that if candidate countries make progress in meeting the criteria, there will be concrete advancement in the process.
Despite efforts, Hungary failed to secure the opening of a chapter in Serbia’s EU accession negotiations, as this was not agreed upon by some member states. In the enlargement process, decisions to open or close chapters are made with the consensus of all 27 member states.
During the discussion process, the country holding the upcoming presidency plays the role of a sincere and impartial mediator.
Now, Poland is expected to continue where Hungary left off, including opening chapters with Serbia. This was promised by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk during a visit to Belgrade in the autumn of the previous year.
The EU enlargement will be a priority during Poland’s presidency, as stated in the Polish government’s program for its six-month leadership. Poland believes that alongside concrete steps with candidate countries, in the form of opening or closing chapters, there will also be progress in internal EU reforms to prepare for the acceptance of new member states.
“Enlargement is the best possible instrument for the European Union to strengthen and promote peace, democracy, the rule of law, and prosperity in Europe. New member states strengthen the competitive potential and growth of the single market, creating new economic opportunities for citizens and businesses. Enlargement is also the most efficient channel for promoting European values, primarily democracy and the rule of law, and enhancing stability in our neighborhood,” reads the program for Poland’s EU Presidency.
“The goal of the Polish Presidency is to make progress in the enlargement process, both to the east and with the Western Balkans, in line with the commitment of countries seeking EU membership, and based on the principle of individual merit. We need to consolidate the reform process in candidate countries, maintain credibility within the European Union, and strengthen Europe’s security,” the document states, which serves as the basis for Poland’s actions during its presidency of the EU.
Poland is one of the most active EU countries in calling for sanctions against Russia and for providing assistance to Ukraine. The country also promotes Ukraine’s advancement in the EU integration process, as well as that of Moldova. These two countries, along with Georgia, have joined the Western Balkans and Turkey in the EU enlargement process. Of all the ten countries involved in the process, only Kosovo does not have candidate status. Kosovo applied for EU membership at the end of 2022, when the Czech Republic held the EU Presidency.
However, Kosovo’s application has not yet been considered by the EU Council. European diplomats in Brussels say it is uncertain whether there will be any movement regarding Kosovo during Poland’s Presidency, as this will also depend on the ongoing dialogue for normalizing relations with Serbia. On the other hand, there is increasing talk of suspending the enlargement process with Georgia, as the country’s government has taken steps and passed laws that contradict EU principles.
In addition to the advancement of countries in the enlargement process, it is expected that political discussions on the EU’s internal reforms necessary for enlargement will begin during the Polish Presidency.
“The Presidency will continue work on the EU’s internal reforms to achieve long-term priorities, ensure the proper functioning of EU policies, and provide the necessary capacity for action in the new geopolitical reality, taking into account future enlargement. We will focus on the needs to prepare for new members by fulfilling the ambitions outlined in the strategic agenda,” reads Poland’s program for its EU presidency.
Poland expects the European Commission to release a detailed pre-accession analysis, and for this to be debated in the European Council. Many EU leaders have stated that the enlargement process should run parallel to the internal reforms of the Union, as with the current legal structure, the EU would find it difficult to function with more than 30 member states in the future. However, apart from informal debates, no official initiatives have been made in this regard so far.
The possibility of enlargement during the next five-year term of the new European Commission has led to discussions in the EU on preparing for the achievement of this goal.
The last EU enlargement occurred in 2013 with Croatia’s accession. Croatia signed the EU accession treaty in the second half of 2011, when Poland was holding the EU presidency. Back then, the Prime Minister of Poland was Donald Tusk, who has returned to that post. Meanwhile, after Croatia’s EU membership, the United Kingdom left the bloc, bringing the number of member states to 27, as it is today. /REL
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