Introduction
When the Polish government was preparing to preside the Council of the EU, no one had suspected that this presidency would come in such a difficult time for Europe. When Poland was trying to increase its partners' interest in issues of the Eastern Partnership, the revolution in North Africa started. When Poland wanted to sign an association agreement with Ukraine, its president Wiktor Janukowycz begun the trial of the former Prime Minister Julia Tymoszenko, which put an end to Ukraine's closer relationship with the EU. When Poland was preparing to talks on increasing cooperation in external energy security, the eurozone became endangered and it was necessary to take actions that would save it from collapsing.
During preparations for the presidency, the Polish government set a number of priorities, out of which one dealt with European security - including external energy security. The aim was to start a discussion on new solutions - both procedural and legislative - that could help maintain the competitiveness of the European energy sector in a changing environment. That would allow for working out mechanisms for leading a supportive and competitive external energy policy that would stay in accordance with the Lisbon Treaty.
Choosing such a priority should not be a surprise - since 1989, the beginning of Poland's sovereignty, its relations with Russia are tense. National politicians still remember Russia using gas as a "weapon" against Ukraine and Belarus and they fear the same might happen to Poland. This is where attempts to build the basics of European energetic solidarity come from.
At this moment it is yet too early to create a full assessment of Poland's presidency. It will be possible in the near future, when it turns out whether ideas that our negotiators focused on led to deeper changes in EU's policies. This perspective is necessary in order not to engage in radical assessment, and such situations have already happened. During the climate conference in Durban, lord John Prescott, Great Britain's former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment, stated while assessing the work of Polish negotiators during the summit, that these negotiators "ought to speak in the voice of Europe, not Poland ” and furthermore added that British diplomacy would be significantly more effective. On the other hand, after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's speach in the European Parliament in December 2011, Martin Schulz, who is an MEP from German SPD said that in his opinion, this has been the best presidency from the last 15.
That is why creating a complex assessment of the Polish presidency regarding its climate and energy priorities is not the aim of this paper. I will try to see, on the other hand, whether issues Poland focused on during that time have a chance to be a constant part of the debate inside the European Union and Poland.
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