This afternoon the EESC plenary session welcomed Grazyna Maria Bernatowicz, Polish State Secretary for European Policy and Human Rights, who had come to set out what was a very positive balance sheet of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union (though technically not completely over until the end of December). This was Poland’s first such Presidency and therefore symbolically a very important one. Speaker after speaker confirmed that the Polish government had acquitted itself with flying colours across the board in all policy areas.