Poland's EU Presidency in 2025: Priorities and Challenges for Europe

Poland's presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2025 is at a critical convergence, where composite geopolitical and economic dynamics complications intersect to shape Europe's future path (Saussay, 2024).

- By Nidhi Piplani Kapur & Pankaj Sarpal

Two interlinked challenges dominate this landscape: the resurgence of protectionist trade policies under Donald Trump's second term as President of the United States, which can destabilise transatlantic trade, and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, now entering its fourth year (Bharti, Aryal & Kutsyk, 2024). The conflict, which is amid diminishing external assistance and growing divisions internally, can test Europe's ability to sustain support for its ally Ukraine. These challenges are deeply interlinked with the potential of the upcoming imposition of rising US tariffs, which can be expected to exacerbate inflationary pressure, already aggravated by disrupted food and energy supply due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine with Russia. Combined, these issues can put pressure on Europe's economy and strategic unity, which, in a sense, affects its global standing and puts it under strain (Tausendfreund & Kefferpütz, 2024).