Speaking during a meeting with European Parliament leaders in Warsaw on Thursday, Tusk welcomed what he said was a growing consensus within the EU that defending borders is a shared responsibility.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, along with the leaders of the European Parliament's political groups, visited Warsaw in preparation for Poland's EU Council presidency, set to begin on January 1.
After meeting with Metsola and the European Parliament delegation, Tusk expressed hope that Poland's presidency would be groundbreaking in many aspects, thanks to cooperation with European partners.
He said that the meeting demonstrated Poland's readiness for the presidency and its serious approach to collaboration and dialogue with all political groups.
"Our priorities will be security, energy as one of the main conditions for restoring the EU's full competitiveness, protection of various citizen groups, and fair competition," Tusk said.
He added that he was happy to see decreasing opposition within the EU to the idea that controlling European and national borders is a common priority.
Tusk argued that European countries must work closely together amid ongoing armed conflicts and political instability.
"Europe still has the chance to be the safest, most stable place on Earth," he said. "We have a lot of work ahead, deep corrections of certain ways of operating, but I am convinced that we will find common ground where it is necessary."
He announced that Poland's presidency would focus on a range of security issues.
"Whether it's discussions on energy, climate, food, enhancing Europe's defense capabilities as a whole and of its member states, transatlantic cooperation, or policies regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war, we will need to rise above traditional divisions and remember that the security of the entire continent depends on us," Tusk told the European Parliament leaders.
Metsola said that the European Parliament delegation's visit was aimed at discussing the priorities of Poland's presidency.
"We expect that the Polish presidency will have a significant impact on preparing the program for the new European Commission, and we will resume the work of the new term of the European Parliament," she added, as quoted by Polish state news agency PAP.
She identified security in its various dimensions as a key task for Poland's leadership in the EU Council, noting that it involves not only weapons and physical safety but also the protection of freedom, social justice, human rights, and the rule of law, the PAP news agency reported.
Metsola also noted that geopolitics shapes political priorities, highlighting that Russia's aggression in Ukraine and the European Union's response to it have dominated discussions within the bloc over the past three years.
"This brutal war significantly shows that we must strengthen our foreign and security policy," she said. "Regardless of how extremely important the situation is now, we must act together as a Union. We must ensure that we face these extremely important challenges."
Poland will chair the EU Council from January 1 to June 30, 2025. This will be Poland's second presidency; the country previously held it in the second half of 2011.
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP, IAR