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From Poland to Denmark: Common Path in Uncommon Times
Since January 1st 2025, Poland has helmed the Council of the European Union against a backdrop of geopolitical challenges. Moscow’s war in Ukraine has been testing European solidarity, triggering Europe’s most serious security crisis since 1945. Various security issues and the complex dance of rule-of-law conditionality have dominated the Polish presidency’s agenda. Despite the strain, Warsaw kept enlargement firmly on the table, emphasising its strategic necessity for the Union’s long-term stability and prosperity, as well as a means to amend internal structures, to fit a more diverse and expanded EU. Denmark will assume the bastion on 1 July 2025, pledging to prioritise the green and digital transitions, enhance strategic autonomy, deepen defence cooperation, and further advance enlargement and neighbourhood policy. At the heart of Copenhagen’s six-month lies a commitment to financial and structural reforms aimed at equipping the EU for future enlargement. While Denmark has historically taken a cautious stance on enlargement, its presidency is expected to advance structural reforms, which will prepare the EU for future expansion, balancing the aspirations of Ukraine, Moldova, and the Western Balkans with the Union’s internal cohesion. Renowned for its commitment to transparency and consensus-building, Denmark seeks to deliver a pragmatic and solutions-oriented presidency that strengthens European stability in uncertain times. The event will examine how the Danish Presidency can move from crisis management to delivering transformative policy. Particular emphasis will be placed on the ongoing enlargement debate, the 2023 Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, the feasibility of the 2030 reform timeline, and how Presidencies can bridge ambition with credibility in both Member States and candidate countries.
Panel Discussion
- Mr Emanuele Giaufret, Ambassador and Head of EU Delegation to Serbia
- Ms Kamila Duda-Kawecka, Chargé d’affaires at the Polish Embassy
- Ms Pernille Dahler Kardel, Ambassador of Denmark to Serbia
- Ms Bojana Selaković, Head of National Convention on EU
- Mr Srđan Majstorović, Charman of CEP’s Governing Board
The panel will be moderated by Strahinja Subotić, Programme Manager and Senior Researcher at the European Policy Centre – CEP.
This event is held within the series of traditional gatherings initiated by CEP and the EU Info Centre six years ago. Its overarching objective is to instigate a substantive debate on EU priorities, presenting insights from the point of countries presiding over the Council of the EU — both outgoing and upcoming. Focused on current topics within the accession process, this biannual occasion serves as a platform for advancing the discourse on Serbia’s EU integration. Attended by representatives from the diplomatic corps, state institutions, and civil society organisations, the event consistently attracts widespread media coverage.