Bijeenkomst Poolse ministerraad en Europese Commissie aan start voorzitterschap (en)

‘Today’s meeting has reaffirmed our mutual intention of vigorous cooperation in order to ensure that a maximum of decisions are of a maximum community character,’ declared Prime minister Donald Tusk i following his meeting with European Commission Chairman José Manuel Barroso i and the joint deliberations of the Council of Ministers and the EU College of Commissioners at the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday.

The joint meeting of the government and EU commissioners at the start of the Presidency is an EU tradition. Such meetings make it possible to discuss in detail the work plans of the rotating presidency of the European Union Council.

The first point on the agenda of the European Commission’s visit to Warsaw was the plenary session at which the most important elements of the Polish Presidency’s programme were discussed.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Commission Chairman José Manuel Barroso and the accompanying ministers and commissioners discussed such matters as the new, long-term EU budget, energy policy, universal EU patents, the Single Market Act, the creation of a European Endowment for Democracy, new instructions regarding cohesion policy and a Common Agricultural Policy legislative packet. The topics included the question of Poland’s vegetable exports to Russia. Following the plenary session, a one-on-one meeting between Chairman Barroso and Prime Minister Tusk took place, as individual ministers conferred with commissioners in thematic groups. In those groups agreement was reached as to how the European Union Council (led by Poland) was to deal with the legal acts submitted by the European Commission over the coming months.

At a joint news conference, both Prime Minister Tusk as well as Chairman Barroso emphasised the value of good cooperation between the Presidency and the Commission. ‘If Europe is incapable of taking collective decisions based on cooperation, then all European states will have to suffer the consequences. When we speak about the EU, what is important is a community approach and full solidarity,’ Chairman Barroso said. ‘At the moment Europe is full of pessimism. There are extreme forces questioning the essence of the EU and thereby doing their own states a great disservice. I hope that Polish optimism and enthusiasm becomes contagious,’ Barroso added.

The European Commission’s visit to Warsaw concluded with lunch at the Royal Castle.