The first half of 2025 will see the second Polish presidency in the Council of the European Union. This coincides with the establishment of a new European Commission and the new term of the European Parliament. Experts from the Employers of Poland Confederation (Konfederacja Lewiatan) believe this should prompt Polish businesses to more actively pursue their interests in Brussels. Polish entrepreneurs are hopeful that the presidency will stimulate the competitiveness of European companies and enhance security in many areas.
“Polish business is not sufficiently active in promoting its interests within the EU. I believe this is changing, companies are becoming more active. We recently had an industry meeting of the Confederation with Members of European Parliament and many entrepreneurs attended, presenting very specific proposals,” says Kinga Grafa, Deputy General Director for European Affairs of Konfederacja Lewiatan and Director of the Confederation’s office in Brussels. However, compared to our colleagues from France or Germany, we are lagging behind. Our representation and business activity are noticeably less and this is a lesson we need to learn.
Between January and June 2025, Poland will hold the presidency in the Council of the EU for the second time since the second half of 2011. Grafa views this as an excellent opportunity to make Polish companies aware that they need to be present in Brussels, have their own representation to make their voice heard. This is necessary as the perspective of not only Polish companies and authorities, but also of the entire Central and Eastern Europe region, was not considered in the report commissioned by the European Commission prepared by Mario Draghi on the need to increase the competitiveness of Europe, especially against the United States and China.
A key concern for businesses that should also be important for our presidency is lobbying. It is essential to redefine this concept, so it is not negatively associated, as it unfortunately does in Poland. We need a strong business voice in Brussels. If we do not have that, the voice of our region is simply unheard. This subject should be brought up in the context of the Polish presidency, and we should all act as ambassadors of this change.
Expectations associated with the Polish presidency are high, particularly as it is the first presidency in the new institutional cycle. A new European Parliament was elected in June, and a newly constituted European Commission will start its work in December, with Pole Piotr Serafin assigned a significant portfolio as commissioner for the budget, reporting directly to President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
“We can impose certain issues that are important to our business and the entire European Union. Hence, the expectations are high. Primarily concerning the internal market, as entrepreneurs continuously encounter barriers, and the internal market is highly fragmented. We hope that the Polish presidency will at least give an impulse for change,” emphasizes Grafa. “The main theme of the presidency is security in various dimensions: energy, defense, or the medical dimension where the Commission has promised the Critical Medicines Act, among other things, to support the production of active medicinal substances. This is an extremely important issue for our members. We are hopeful that these topics will be addressed or at least initiated.”
Experts also underlined the business expectations to uphold competitiveness in various sectors, which is challenging as it requires a balance between state aid and the interest of a joint European Market. Entrepreneurs have hopes connected with the European Competitiveness Fund, announced by Ursula von der Leyen just after her election as President of the European Commission in July. The fund that is expected to further support European strategic technologies, such as artificial intelligence, clean industry, and biotechnology, is part of the proposal for the next EU budget for 2028-2034. The first new batch of joint projects is expected to be proposed at the beginning of 2025.
The theme of the Polish presidency in the Council of the EU and the opportunities it presents for Polish entrepreneurs was widely discussed among experts, government representatives, and business representatives during the European Forum for New Ideas in Sopot. The event has been organized for 13 years by the Confederation of the European Business (BusinessEurope) in cooperation with the city of Sopot. As the only Polish employer’s organization, Lenin is a member of BusinessEurope. Lenin’s representation in Brussels deals with maintaining contacts with business federations, trade unions, diplomatic offices, EU institutions, participation in BusinessEurope operations, monitoring EU legislation, preparing opinions on EU legislation, and developing international relations and activities.
