Welcoming Prime Minister Tusk, EP President Metsola said Poland took the reins of the Council “as the world around us has become more unpredictable”. She trusted that, in facing global challenges, “Europe will be able to rely on Polish courage and spirit to anchor our Union.” President Metsola stressed that “Europe must step up and act with determination to ensure our Union continues to thrive. To ensure that we are able to generate the prosperity our European way relies on. To make people’s lives easier. To ensure our people can live securely and in safety.”

In a debate in the Strasbourg hemicycle, Prime Minister Tusk said security is a key priority for Europe because of a hot conflict on its borders, political change in the US and the challenge posed by weaponised lies and disinformation online. He stressed that spending up to 5% of GDP on security and defence is necessary, and warned Europe needs to arm itself to survive: “People cannot associate democracy with…