Poland's Presidency in focus: Exploring key priorities through open
data
Publication Date/Time
2025-05-14T11:30:00+00:00
Country
Global
What the data tells us about the EU's priorities under the 2025 Polish
Presidency
In January 2025, Poland
[https://polish-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/] took over the
rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union
[https://european-union.europa.eu/institutions-law-budget/institutions-and-bodies/search-all-eu-institutions-and-bodies/council-european-union_en].
Succeeding Hungary
[https://hungarian-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/presidency/hungarian-presidency/],
Poland now chairs the Council, commencing a trio presidency
[https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/council-eu/presidency-council-eu/]
alongside Denmark and Cyprus. Under the overarching
theme ‘Security, Europe!’
[https://polish-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/], Poland’s
presidency places a strong emphasis on resilience – particularly in
energy, agriculture and healthcare.

This data story focuses on three of the seven priorities
[https://polish-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/programme/priorities/]
of the Polish Presidency – THE ENERGY TRANSITION, COMPETITIVE AND
RESILIENT AGRICULTURE, AND HEALTH SECURITY – given their direct
impact on citizens’ daily lives, as well as Europe’s economic
stability and long-term resilience. Open data provides a factual
foundation for exploring these priorities, offering context, trends
and benchmarks that help illuminate the challenges and policy
ambitions of the Polish Presidency.

 

INVESTIGATING THE EU’S ENERGY LANDSCAPE THROUGH OPEN DATA

One pillar of the Polish Presidency is ensuring energy security while
maintaining affordability for citizens and businesses. Poland’s
focus on energy security is particularly evident in its efforts to
stabilise household electricity prices – a crucial issue given that
the residential sector accounts for 26 % of the EU’s final energy
consumption
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/SEPDF/cache/58200.pdf].
FIGURE 1.1 shows that Poland maintained stable energy prices
(excluding taxes) at 10 ct/kWh from 2014 to 2024, even as the EU
average doubled after 2021, reaching 22 ct/kWh in 2024. Poland was
able to maintain stable electricity prices through strategies such as
price freezes
[https://www.gov.pl/web/klimat/rzad-przyjal-projekt-ustawy-dot-zamrozenia-cen-energii-dla-gospodarstw-domowych-w-2025-dbamy-o-stabilnosc-polskich-rodzin],
subsidies and gradual tariff adjustments to shield households from
rising energy costs.

Another aspect of energy security is dependency on imports.
FIGURE 1.2 illustrates the EU’s energy imports dependency,
highlighting the variation in reliance on external energy sources
across Member States. With an imports dependency of 48 %, Poland
relies on external energy sources for less than half of its energy
needs. This dependency is lower than the EU average of 58 %
dependency on external energy and places Poland alongside countries
like Czechia and France that have moderate reliance on imports due to
strong domestic energy production. Meanwhile, countries like Cyprus,
Luxembourg and Malta exhibit the highest dependency (above 75 %),
relying almost entirely on imported energy. On the other end, Estonia,
Finland and Sweden are among the least dependent countries (under
25 %), benefiting from domestic energy sources.

Through open data, we can track the EU’s progress on its energy
security strategy and measure the effectiveness of these policies in
enhancing affordability and sustainability across the EU energy
market.

 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/20250512_Energy%20Transition%5B15%5D.png]
FIGURE 1: HOW DO EU MEMBER STATES COMPARE IN TERMS OF ENERGY PRICES
AND IMPORT DEPENDENCY?

_SOURCE:_ EUROSTAT (ELECTRICITY PRICES)
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Electricity_price_statistics]; EUROSTAT
(ENERGY IMPORTS DEPENDENCY)
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nrg_ind_id__custom_15478203/default/table?lang=en].

 

EXPLORING AGRICULTURAL COMPETITIVENESS WITH DATA-DRIVEN INSIGHTS

Ensuring the competitiveness and resilience of the agriculture sector
is vital for the EU, particularly in the context of evolving trade
dynamics, climate challenges and growing concerns around food
security. In this effort, open data plays a key role by offering
insights into how market conditions, production costs and policy
measures affect agricultural performance across Member States.

To illustrate how these factors play out at the national level,
FIGURE 2 presents a comparative view of Poland’s agriculture sector
relative to the EU average. This comparison covers key indicators such
as the sector’s share in gross value added (GVA), employment rates
in agriculture, and farmer income – each offering a window into the
broader state of resilience within the sector.

Across the EU, agriculture consistently contributes around 1.5 % to
total GVA. Poland, however, stands out with a notably higher share,
ranging between 2 % and 3 %, amounting to 2.8 % in 2022. A similar
pattern emerges when looking at employment: while structural shifts in
the EU have led to a gradual decline in agricultural employment –
now averaging 3.4 % – Poland continues to maintain a much higher
share at 8 %. These structural developments have not only reshaped
the agricultural labour market but have also been accompanied by
significant efficiency gains across the sector.

One key indicator of this progress is the real income per agricultural
work unit, which reflects the income generated per
full-time-equivalent worker, taking into account all input such as
land, labour and capital. EU-wide, this income has increased by 66 %
since 2010. Poland has seen even stronger growth, with a remarkable
119 % increase over the same period – nearly double the EU
average. This underlines the extent to which different national
contexts can shape agricultural outcomes.

Income trends become even more revealing when compared to national
average wages. Between 2010 and 2021, the EU’s average ratio of
farmer income to national wages rose from 37 % to 52 %, while Polish
farmers maintained a slightly higher ratio of 55 %. This suggests a
greater degree of economic resilience among agricultural workers in
certain Member States, despite the shared pressures across the EU.

By highlighting such national examples, open data enables a more
nuanced understanding of the EU’s agricultural landscape. It
supports evidence-based policymaking that strengthens competitiveness
and helps ensure the sector’s resilience in the face of future
challenges.

 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/20250512_Competitive%20agriculture%5B42%5D.png]
FIGURE 2: HOW DOES POLISH AGRICULTURE COMPARE TO THE EU AVERAGE?

_SOURCE:_ EUROPEAN COMMISSION (FARMERS’ INCOME AND EMPLOYMENT IN
AGRICULTURE)
[https://agridata.ec.europa.eu/extensions/DashboardIndicators/JobsGrowth.html]; EUROSTAT
(REAL INCOME)
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/aact_eaa06__custom_15448122/default/line?lang=en]; EUROSTAT
(GVA)
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama_10_a64__custom_15481067/default/table?lang=en].

 

ANALYSING HEALTH TRADE AND MEDICAL SUPPLY CHAINS USING OPEN DATA

With challenges ranging from climate change to cyber threats and the
growing strategic importance of medicine supply chains, health
security has emerged as a key priority under the Polish Presidency.
Open data provides valuable insights into the EU’s strengths and
strategic dependencies, offering essential context for policies aimed
at reinforcing the EU’s role as a global leader in healthcare and
pharmaceutical innovation.

The EU’s strong position in pharmaceutical production is reflected
in its trade balance in medical and pharmaceutical products
(FIGURE 3.1). Over the past 20 years, both exports and imports have
grown significantly. However, exports have expanded at a much faster
rate, leading to a record export surplus of EUR 158 billion in 2023.
This rise in trade balance
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/ddn-20230424-1#:~:text=Between%202002%20and%202022%2C%20EU,%E2%82%AC287%20billion%20in%202022.]
reflects growing global demand, accelerated innovation and the EU’s
strong manufacturing base – especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The global reach of the EU’s pharmaceutical trade is further
illustrated by its main trading partners (FIGURE 3.2), with most
imports and exports concentrated among eight countries. The United
States and Switzerland are particularly significant partners, with the
EU exporting EUR 91.7 billion in pharmaceutical products to the
United States. These exports account for 33.1 % of the EU’s total
exports of medical and pharmaceutical products. Switzerland also plays
a major role, with exports (EUR 42.8 billion) slightly exceeding
imports (EUR 38.4 billion) and accounting for 15.5 % of total
exports in this category. Other important trade partners include
China, Japan, Russia, Singapore, South Korea and the United Kingdom,
which together account for a substantial share of the EU’s
pharmaceutical trade flows.

These insights highlight the EU’s strong global standing in
pharmaceutical trade and the importance of maintaining resilient,
strategically diversified supply chains. By leveraging open data,
policymakers can better anticipate vulnerabilities, strengthen the
EU’s health security and support a robust pharmaceutical sector
capable of meeting both current and future challenges.

 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/20250512_Health%20security_map%5B67%5D.png]
FIGURE 3: WHAT IS THE EU’S TRADE BALANCE FOR MEDICAL AND
PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS?

_SOURCE:_ EUROSTAT
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=International_trade_in_medicinal_and_pharmaceutical_products#Strong_growth_of_trade_in_medicinal_and_pharmaceutical_products_in_2023].

 

CONCLUSION

This data story explores three of the Polish Presidency’s key
priorities – the energy transition, agricultural competitiveness
and health security – each relevant to building a resilient
European Union. Open data reveals Poland’s effectiveness in
maintaining stable and affordable electricity prices, illustrating the
potential for ensuring stability within the EU’s wider energy
sector. In addition, open agricultural data provides valuable insights
into broader EU trends, highlighting the sector’s sustained
importance in economic growth, employment and farmer incomes. Finally,
trade data underscores the EU’s robust global position in
pharmaceuticals, while also illuminating key dependencies in supply
chains that inform strategic policymaking.

Open data continues to offer transparent insights into the EU’s
progress and challenges, enabling informed decisions that benefit
policymakers, businesses and citizens alike. Curious to explore
further how open data shapes the Polish Presidency’s priorities and
the EU’s resilience strategies? Dive into open datasets
at data.europa.eu [https://data.europa.eu/en], and stay informed by
subscribing to our newsletter.

 

 

