BRUSSELS & WARSAW, 12/ 11 / 2024 – On 21 and 22 November 2024, the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA) and the Jagiellonian University, in collaboration with Visegrad Insight, will hold a high-level conference in Warsaw to discuss the aims and priorities of the Polish Council Presidency.
On 1 January 2025, Poland will take over the Rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union. With Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine about to enter its fourth year and continued hybrid threats to the EU and its neighbours, the Polish PPC will be an opportunity to assess how the current global landscape affects Europe, and what can be done to secure Europe’s future.
Several key figures from academia, civil society, and the Polish government will be present to discuss the challenges facing Europe today. TEPSA’s researchers will present their recommendations for the Presidency, focusing on security and defence, enlargement, and European competitiveness.
“The upcoming conference in Warsaw will allow the TEPSA network to interact with representatives of the Polish government. At a time when the EU faces huge challenges, we need more than ever a vibrant and fruitful dialogue between think tankers/academics and decision-makers. We set high hopes for the Polish Presidency of the Council. Under the leadership of Donald Tusk, former president of the European Council, Poland is one of the key movers in the EU”, says TEPSA’s Secretary-General, Jim Cloos.
TEPSA’s Executive Director, Mariam Khotenashvili comments on the significance of the Polish Presidency: “Shoring up Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s aggression remains the main challenge for the EU, a challenge of existential nature. The Niinistö report on the EU’s civilian and military preparedness outlines a lot of longer-term work, but the Polish Presidency will need to broker agreement on higher military support to Ukraine urgently. After Trump’s re-election, European democracy and European integration are in danger and EU leaders will need to get real, without excuses. Russia is not only a problem of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova; no ‘iron curtain’ will protect Western European democracies from subversion. The need for Europe to get its act together has never been greater.”
The “Pre-Presidency Conference” is a flagship initiative of the Trans European Policy Studies Association. These high-level discussions have become a staple of the European political year ever since the first one ahead of the Irish Presidency in 1975.
Notes to editors
The Polish Pre-Presidency Conference will take place on 21 November at the University of Warsaw and on 22 November at the Polish Academy of Science. The conference is co-organised by the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA) and the Jagiellonian University in collaboration with Visegrad Insight.
Registrations for the conference are open at the following link. A draft agenda of the conference can be found here.
For press enquiries and interview requests with our speakers, please contact Barbara Vanotti, TEPSA’s Communications Officer.
