In the second half of the year 2011 Poland held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Lisbon Treaty has introduced a collective 18-month Presidency composed of three previously-designated member states (the “Presidency trio”). This solution should surly contribute to the increase of cohesion and effectiveness of the EU functioning. However the Lisbon Treaty has also modified previous model of the presidency introducing two new offices: the President of the European Council and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. This change resulted in the division of duties between rotating presidency held by “trio” and fixed presidency held by the two new offices. Therefore the aim of this article is to present the new model of the presidency. Furthermore the relevant task of the presidency is to initiate new direction of the EU’s development in the form of a long-term action plan. The proposals of initiatives and top priorities defined in the agenda have a significant influence on the EU functioning and its future challenges especially in time of crises. Thus, the aim of this article is also to analyze the priorities of the Polish Presidency.