CEU Center for EU Enlargement Studies (CENS), the Embassy of Poland in Hungary and CEU Department of International Relations and European Studies (IRES) hosted a public lecture on 17 April 2012 entitled “Experiences of the Polish EU Presidency. Challenges of the current Polish foreign policy”. The lecture was delivered by Ambassador H.E. Mr Roman KOWALSKI to a distinguished group of diplomats, ambassadors, students and university professors.

The lecture was divided into two main parts: first, the 2011 Polish EU Presidency; second, the goals of the Polish foreign policy. In the first part of the lecture, Ambassador Kowalski highlighted the three main goals of the Polish EU Presidency (European integration as a source of growth; Secure Europe; Europe benefiting from openness). He continued by emphasizing Poland’s commitment to the Eastern Partnership and Neighborhood policies. He also stressed the importance of the V4 cooperation and its future prospects. In the second part of the lecture, His Excellency spoke about Poland’s foreign policy priorities and the new role of Poland in Europe and the world.

The lecture was chaired by Péter Balázs, Director of CENS and former Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Please, see the Ambassador’s presentation below for more details.