By Marek Strzelecki, Lili Bayer and Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland launched its presidency of the Council of the European Union on Friday mired in a diplomatic row with Hungary that underscored a deepening sense of political disunity across Europe just as it confronts a raft of major global challenges.

Poland will chair the European Council — one of the bloc's legislative bodies made up of 27 national ministers from each member state, whose portfolios include different policy areas — for the second time after almost 14 years, when incumbent Prime Minister Donald Tusk was also in office.

Poland launched its presidency of the Council of the European Union on Friday mired in a diplomatic row with Hungary that underscored a deepening sense of political disunity across Europe just as it confronts a raft of major global challenges.