Rashel Talukder
President of the Board
PPHS
Six months of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union have been marked by intensive efforts to strengthen the Union's military, energy and information security. As the Polish Presidency now comes to an end, this is the right moment to summarise its achievements.
Rashel Talukder,
President of the Board, PPHS
The Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2025 coincided with an exceptionally demanding period, particularly in the field of security. The challenges related to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, intensifying hybrid threats, the instrumentalisation of migration, and the growing wave of disinformation required decisive and coordinated action.
Poland took on this responsibility during its term, focusing on several key areas that are fundamental to the stability and security of the European Union. Below, I have summarised the most important directions and outcomes of this intensive six-month period, focusing particularly on the security dimension.
The Inauguration of the Polish Presidency at the National Theatre in Warsaw.
Hybrid Threats and Migration Pressure
Poland adopted an integrated approach to countering hybrid threats, with particular emphasis on the instrumentalisation of migration. Aggressive hybrid actions, such as using migration as a tool of political pressure, have become some of the most serious challenges to the EU’s security. Among other initiatives, in June 2025, Poland hosted the High-Level Meeting of the EMN Presidency, dedicated to strengthening the protection of the EU’s external borders, combating irregular migration, and fighting organised crime linked to human smuggling.
Warsaw initiated and supported measures aimed at increasing the resilience of Member States—both by improving the protection of borders and by enhancing EU procedures for rapid response to migration crises. Poland also intensified cooperation with countries located along the main migration routes, both within Europe and beyond, enabling more effective action against human smuggling and trafficking. For example, in May 2025, an information campaign was launched in seven countries across Africa and Asia, warning against the false promises of smugglers and encouraging the use of legal migration channels.
Support for Ukraine and Combating Organised Crime
In the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the Polish Presidency played an important role in coordinating efforts to monitor and neutralise the threats arising from the conflict. Particular emphasis was placed on combating organised crime, including arms and drug trafficking, as well as the infiltration of criminal groups that destabilise the region and pose a threat to European security.
In March, Warsaw hosted an informal meeting of the Standing Committee on Operational Cooperation on Internal Security (COSI), where Poland highlighted the importance of the EMPACT platform and presented key findings from Europol’s SOCTA 2025 report.
Through enhanced operational cooperation between Member States and agencies such as Europol, Poland helped to significantly improve the effectiveness of measures targeting these illegal activities. This improved coordination also accelerated response times to cross-border threats.
The ENLETS National Contact Points (NCPs) Meeting held in Warsaw on 9–10 April 2025 hosted as a part of the Polish Presidency.
Cybersecurity and the Fight Against Disinformation
Countering disinformation and cyber threats was one of the core pillars of the Polish Presidency. In the face of an increasing wave of false information and a rise in cyberattacks, Poland promoted the development of a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity, combining preventive, coordinated and legislative measures.
The adoption of the new EU Cyber Blueprint, replacing the 2017 framework, was one of the most significant achievements of this term. Warsaw also actively supported efforts to create synergies between civilian and military resources, which significantly strengthened the EU’s resilience to hybrid attacks.
These actions were simultaneously aimed at protecting democracy and civil society from information manipulation, which remains essential for the political and social stability of the Union.
Rashel Talukder at the Cybercrime CP.3 conference, held under the patronage of the Polish Presidency.
A Comprehensive Approach to EU Security
Under the motto “Security, Europe!”, the Polish Presidency pursued a broad strategy covering other critical areas, including energy, health, and economic security, border protection, digital transformation, and agricultural policy.
The initiatives undertaken formed a coherent, multi-dimensional response to modern threats, and Poland consistently emphasised the need to build the Union’s resilience across all these sectors.
The Polish Platform for Homeland Security was honoured to actively support the implementation of the Polish Presidency’s priorities. As an expert partner, PPHS contributed to strengthening operational cooperation, organised workshops, and provided expertise and analysis to support the EU’s internal security. One of the key initiatives within this framework was the organisation of the Cybercrime Technologies CP.3 conference.
What’s Next?
At the end of June, Poland will hand over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union to Denmark. However, the mechanisms and tools developed over the past six months—from streamlined migration response procedures to the new cybersecurity architecture—will remain a lasting legacy of this term.
