Donald Tusk: Biography and Political Career

Donald Tusk: Overview

• Current Prime Minister of Poland, assuming office on December 13, 2023.
• Served as Prime Minister of Poland from 2007 to 2014.
• Held positions such as President of the European Council (2014-2019), and leader of the European People's Party (2019-2022).
• Co-founded Civic Platform and led it from 2003 to 2014 and again from 2021.
• The longest-serving prime minister of the Third Polish Republic.

Early Political Career

• Involved in Polish politics since 1989.
• Co-founded the Liberal Democratic Congress (KLD).
• Entered the Sejm in 1991 but lost his seat in 1993.
• In 1994 the KLD merged with the Democratic Union to form the Freedom Union.
• Elected to the Senate in 1997, becoming its deputy marshal.
• Co-founded Civic Platform (PO) in 2001 and was elected to the Sejm, becoming its deputy marshal.
• Unsuccessful presidential candidate in 2005.

First Premiership (2007-2014)

• Led Civic Platform to victory in the 2007 parliamentary election.
• Appointed prime minister on November 16, becoming the fourteenth prime minister of the Third Polish Republic.
• Secured a second term in the 2011 election, the first Polish PM re-elected since the fall of communism in 1989.
• Resigned in 2014 to become President of the European Council.

Domestic Policies (2007-2014)

• Initially promised free market policies, bureaucracy streamlining, long-term governance, tax cuts, encouraging the return of Polish citizens living overseas, and privatization of state-owned companies.
• Later raised VAT from 22% to 23% in 2011, increased taxes on various goods, and eliminated tax exemptions.
• The number of people employed in public administration also grew during his tenure.
• Oversaw an austerity program, and the construction of a larger national road network for the UEFA 2012 football championships.
• Defended the government's decision not to purchase swine flu vaccine during the 2009 pandemic.
• Held moderately conservative views on social issues, opposing legalizing abortion on demand and euthanasia.
• Changed his stance on abortion in June 2022, supporting legalization up to 12 weeks.

Foreign Policy (2007-2014)

• Aimed to improve relations with Germany and Russia, damaged during the previous government.
• Advocated a more realistic relationship with Moscow, especially regarding energy policy.
• Withdrew military units from Iraq, completing the withdrawal in October 2008.
• Showed initial skepticism towards U.S. plans for missile defense shield bases but later supported the project.
• Supported Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's controversial constitution.
• Supported Poland signing the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) but faced mass protests.

European Policy (2007-2014)

• Supported greater political and economic integration within the EU and the Lisbon Treaty.
• Originally wanted to introduce the euro by 2012, later aiming for 2015, but became less optimistic due to the European sovereign debt crisis.
• Poland presided over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union between July and December 2011.

Constitutional Reform (2007-2014)

• Relations with President Lech Kaczyński were acrimonious due to differing ideologies.
• Proposed various reforms to the Polish constitution, including abolishing the presidential veto.
• Suggested reducing the Sejm membership and the Senate, even proposing to abolish the upper house.
• Planned to expand the prime minister's role in foreign policy decisions.
• Did not run in the 2010 presidential election, preferring to remain as prime minister.

President of the European Council (2014-2019)

• Succeeded Herman Van Rompuy on December 1, 2014.
• Promoted a unified European response to Russia's military intervention in Ukraine.
• Made attempts to coordinate the EU's response to the European migrant crisis.
• Warned of dire consequences should the UK vote to leave the EU.
• Pursued a hard line on the UK's withdrawal, stating the only alternative to a "hard Brexit" is "no Brexit."
• Opposed the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.
• Stated the Trump administration presented a threat to the EU.
• Re-elected for a second term on March 9, 2017, receiving 27 of 28 votes.
• Urged Turkey to avoid threats against any EU member and expressed concern over the Turkish invasion of northern Syria in 2018.
• Stated there was a "special place in Hell for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely."
• Addressed reporters regarding Brexit, stating "one thing I will not cooperate on is no deal," at the G7 Summit in August 2019.
• Condemned the 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria.

Second Premiership (2023-Present)

• Returned to Polish politics as leader of Civic Platform in July 2021.
• Organized and led significant anti-government protests in Warsaw in 2023.
• Advocated for enhanced LGBT rights, including introducing same-sex civil unions during his campaign.
• In the 2023 parliamentary election, Civic Coalition finished as the second-largest bloc in the Sejm.
• Nominated as prime minister after Mateusz Morawiecki failed to secure a vote of confidence.
• His cabinet was sworn in on December 13, ending eight years of PiS government.

Domestic Policy (2023-Present)

• Dismissed top executives from Telewizja Polska, promising to turn Polish state media into a source of reliable information.
• Responding to protests by European farmers, he pushed for changes to the European Green Deal.
• Oversaw the arrests of MPs Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik, tried for exceeding authority since 2015.
• Opposed the EU Migration Pact, stating "we will protect Poland from the relocation mechanism".
• Announced plans to temporarily suspend the right of migrants to seek asylum in Poland.
• Supported proposals to reduce benefits paid by Poland to Ukrainian refugees.
• Unveiled plans for economic deregulation to spur growth, appointing InPost CEO Rafał Brzoska to lead the advisory team.

Foreign Policy (2023-Present)

• Met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, stating that all those who chose neutrality in the Russo-Ukrainian War deserved "the darkest place in political hell".
• Criticized the International Criminal Court's arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alongside Hamas leaders.
• Stated that Ukraine's membership in the European Union would not be possible without resolving the question of Polish victims of the Volhynian Genocide.
• Guaranteed safe passage for senior Israeli officials to travel to an event marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp.
• Emphasized maintaining strong U.S.-European relations while advocating for increased European defence capabilities.

Early Life and Personal Details

• Born on April 22, 1957, in Gdańsk, Poland.
• Has Polish, German, and Kashubian origins.
• His father was a carpenter, and his mother was a nurse.
• Grandfather was imprisoned in the Neuengamme concentration camp and later forcibly conscripted into the Wehrmacht.
• Studied history at the University of Gdańsk, graduating in 1980.
• Married Małgorzata Sochacka in 1978; they have two children and five grandchildren.
• Speaks Polish, Kashubian, German, and English.