Znaczenie prezydencji w Radzie Unii Europejskiej dla postrzegania efektywności polskiej polityki europejskiej w Polsce i w Unii Europejskiej

The analysis concerns a very important issue in the study of European integration – the effectiveness of the implementation of Polish European policy, in particular in its specific aspect, namely in the area of presidency in the Council of the European Union. The aim of the research is to analyze the significance of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the post-Lisbon conditions and to assess this effectiveness from the Polish and European perspective (recognized as the institutions of the European Union and the Member States). The research hypothesis of this analysis is the statement that the Polish Presidency in the Council of the European Union, although not a breakthrough for any major initiative in the European integration, was recognized as a major success of Polish European policy and a significant confirmation of its high efficiency both in Poland and by representatives of other European Union countries as well as European institutions. What is important, despite the generally not very high factual assessment of the effectiveness of Polish European policy in the light of various criteria of such evaluation, the evaluation of the Polish presidency in the EU Council gives grounds for a much higher assessment of its efficiency than the entire European policy coordination system in Poland – all that despite the more difficult conditions of conducting the Presidency (from the point of view of its agenda and its course) due to the conditions of the Treaty of Lisbon. The fairly high effectiveness of the implementation of the Polish presidency (in terms of implementing its priorities, strengthening the good image of Poland – including as a dignified partner, strengthening administrative capacity) applies to all functions that the Presidency formally should fulfill, despite several significant failures, such as lack of success in the issue sealing the prospects of Ukraine’s entry into the European Union, no influence on decisions regarding the eurozone (but having influence on the entire EU), lack of significant breakthrough in energy and climate policy. In this context, however, it should not be forgotten that the Polish presidency fell on the duration of many important crises in the EU, which mitigates the bitterness of its failures and gives more space for appreciation of its successes.