Videoconference of the members of the European Council
26.02.2021
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki took part in the videoconference of the leaders of the members of the European Council. The main topics of the two-day meeting were the coordination of EU activities on COVID-19 and the strategic debate on European security and defense.
Members of the European Council discussed the production and rollut of vaccines, the impact of the pandemic on freedom of movement, and the challenges posed by new variants of the virus. The head of the Polish government also talked about the availability of vaccines in Europe, which he announced in a letter to the President of the European Council Charles Michel, together with the leaders of Belgium, Denmark, Spain and Lithuania.
During the second day of the video summit, EU leaders held a strategic discussion on European security and defense with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Prime Minister Morawiecki emphasized, inter alia, the role of cooperation and close dialogue with NATO, and the development of EU defense initiatives, as strengthening the European pillar of NATO - not as an alternative to transatlantic relations. He also stressed the need for inclusiveness in the process of creating the European industrial and technological base of the defense sector.
The heads of state and government also raised the issue of respecting human rights in Russia, as well as the current situation in Belarus.
Statement of the members of the European Council, 25-26 February 2021