Polish-Swedish political consultations

The main focus of the talks was on bilateral relations, Ukraine's EU accession, as well as the Union's security and competition policy.

Secretary of State for European Affairs Ignacy Niemczycki argued that the proper response to Russia's unlawful activity is to continue tightening sanctions and use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. The discussions at the informal European Council meeting held in Copenhagen on 1-2 October are a good starting point for working towards more detailed solutions. In the context of the enlargement policy, we are concerned about Hungary's stance, which diminishes the European Union's impact by blocking the start of accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova.

Deputy Minister Niemczycki also concluded that financing European defence capabilities should remain one of the European Union's priorities given the current geopolitical situation and continuous Russian threat.

The diplomats agreed that, as the Eastern Partnership's initiators, Poland and Sweden are in a position to support EU partners from Eastern Europe, building on long-lasting achievements of Polish-Swedish cooperation.

Deputy Minister Henryka Mościcka-Dendys emphasised the rapid growth in cooperation between Warsaw and Stockholm, ever more enhanced after Sweden's accession to NATO. Our countries are bound together thanks to a Strategic Partnership, renewed by the prime ministers of both states in Harpsund, Sweden, in November 2024. Poland is thankful for Stockholm's participation in this year's Enhanced Air Policing mission in our country, consisting of the Allies securing the skies along NATO's eastern flank, as well as for its solid support following the Russian drone incursion into the Polish airspace.

We note the active collaboration between both countries' defence industries and armed forces, most recently exemplified by the "Gotland Sentry" short notice exercise. A major and trustworthy investor in the Polish market, Sweden is also a significant trade partner for our country, with bilateral trade worth EUR 14.3 billion in 2024. On 17 November, Sweden will host the first edition of a Polish-Swedish business summit, focusing on the energy sector, innovation, digitalisation, Ukraine's reconstruction, security, and defence.

In the light of challenges in the Baltic Sea region, Poland declared the willingness to leverage its Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States to boost the region's resilience and strengthen the links between different institutions in this part of Europe.