Donald Tusk: Polish and EU Leadership Roles

Prime Minister of Poland (2023-Present)

• Donald Tusk assumed office as Prime Minister of Poland on December 13, 2023, with Andrzej Duda as President.
• He succeeded Mateusz Morawiecki.

Prime Minister of Poland (2007-2014)

• Tusk served as Prime Minister from November 16, 2007, to September 22, 2014.
• He served under the President Lech Kaczyński.
• He was preceded by Jarosław Kaczyński and succeeded by Ewa Kopacz.

President of the European Council

• Tusk held the office of President of the European Council from December 1, 2014, to November 30, 2019.
• He succeeded Herman Van Rompuy and was succeeded by Charles Michel.

Leader of the Civic Platform

• Tusk served as the Leader of the Civic Platform from July 3, 2021.
• He was preceded by Borys Budka.
• Also held the position from June 1, 2003 – November 8, 2014
• He was preceded by Maciej Płażyński and succeeded by Ewa Kopacz.

President of the European People's Party

• Tusk served as President of the European People's Party from December 1, 2019 – June 1, 2022.
• He was preceded by Joseph Daul and succeeded by Manfred Weber.

Deputy Marshal of the Sejm

• Tusk was the Deputy Marshal of the Sejm from October 18, 2001 – October 18, 2005.
• He served alongside others under the Marshal Jan Król and was succeed by Bronisław Komorowski

Deputy Marshal of the Senate

• Tusk was the Deputy Marshal of the Senate from October 20, 1997 – October 18, 2001.
• He served alongside others under the Marshal Alicja Grześkowiak.
• He was preceded by Zofia Kuratowska and succeeded by Kazimierz Kutz.

Personal Details

• Born: April 22, 1957 in Gdańsk, Polish People's Republic (now Poland).
• Political Affiliations: Civic Coalition (since 2018), European People's Party (2014–2022).
• Spouse: Małgorzata Sochacka (married 1978).
• Children: Two.
• Education: University of Gdańsk.

Early Life and Education

• Tusk was born in Gdańsk, Poland and has Polish, German, and Kashubian heritage.
• His father was a carpenter, and his mother was a nurse, with his maternal grandmother speaking Danzig German.
• His paternal grandfather was imprisoned in Neuengamme concentration camp and later forcibly conscripted into the Wehrmacht, from which he defected.
• He describes his youth in Gdańsk as shaping his immunity to orthodoxy, ideology, and nationalism.
• Tusk studied history at the University of Gdańsk, graduating in 1980, and was active in the Student Committee of Solidarity.

Early Political Career

• Tusk co-founded the Liberal Democratic Congress (KLD), which won 37 seats in the 1991 elections.
• The KLD merged with the Democratic Union (UD) to form the Freedom Union (UW).
• Elected to the Senate in 1997 and became its deputy marshal.
• In 2001, he co-founded Civic Platform (PO) and became deputy speaker in parliament.

2005 Polish Presidential Election

• Tusk ran for President in 2005 but was defeated by Lech Kaczyński.
• Differences included Tusk favoring separation of church and state, rapid European integration, and a free-market economy versus Kaczyński's social conservatism, soft Euroscepticism, and state intervention.
• A controversy arose regarding Tusk's grandfather's alleged service in the German Wehrmacht during WWII.

First Premiership (2007–2014)

• Civic Platform won the 2007 Polish parliamentary election, making Tusk Prime Minister.
• He secured a second term in 2011, the first Polish PM to win reelection since the fall of communism.
• In 2014, resigned to become President of the European Council, succeeded by Ewa Kopacz.

Domestic Policy (2007-2014)

• Initially promised free market policies, streamlined bureaucracy, stable governance, tax cuts, and privatization.
• Later, his government raised VAT, increased taxes on certain goods, and eliminated tax exemptions.
• Oversaw an austerity program and prioritized construction of a national road network for the UEFA 2012 championships.
• Defended the government's decision not to purchase swine flu vaccine during the 2009 pandemic.
• Socially moderate, initially opposed to legalizing abortion on demand but later supported legalizing abortion up to 12 weeks in June 2022.

Foreign Policy (2007-2014)

• Sought to improve relations with Germany and Russia, damaged during the previous government.
• Withdrew military units from Iraq.
• Initially skeptical, later supported U.S. missile defense shield bases in Poland.
• Supported Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's controversial constitution.
• Supported the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), leading to web attacks and mass protests.

European Policy (2007-2014)

• Supported greater EU integration and the Lisbon Treaty.
• Aimed to bring Poland into the Eurozone, but displayed less optimism due to the European sovereign debt crisis.
• Poland held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union between July and December 2011.
• Expressed displeasure over German and French dominance in eurozone negotiations.

Constitutional Reform (2007-2014)

• Proposed reforms to the Polish constitution, including abolishing the presidential veto.
• Suggested reducing the Sejm from 460 to 300 members and potentially abolishing the Senate.
• Proposed expanding the prime minister's role in foreign policy decisions.

President of the European Council (2014–2019)

• Promoted a unified European response to Russia's intervention in Ukraine.
• Coordinated the EU's response to the European migrant crisis and warned illegal economic migrants against coming to Europe.
• Warned of dire consequences ahead of the UK's EU membership referendum and later pursued a hard line on Brexit.
• Opposed the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.
• Identified the Trump administration as a threat to the EU in an open letter.
• Received 27 of 28 votes for a second term, with Poland opposing his reelection.
• Stated there would be no winners from Brexit and the following two years would be a time of damage limitation.
• Urged Turkey to avoid threats against EU members and expressed concern over the Turkish invasion of northern Syria.
• Condemned the 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria.

Return to Polish Politics and Anti-Government Protests

• In July 2021, Tusk returned to Polish politics as leader of Civic Platform.
• Organized and led significant anti-government protests in Warsaw in 2023, drawing hundreds of thousands of participants.
• During his campaign, advocated for enhanced LGBT rights, including same-sex civil unions.

2023 Polish Parliamentary Election

• Civic Coalition finished as the second-largest bloc in the Sejm in the 2023 election.
• The Civic Coalition and two other opposition parties, Third Way and New Left, took 54% of the resulting vote.
• Nominated as Prime Minister and sworn in on December 13, 2023.

Domestic Policy (2023-Present)

• Dismissed top executives from Telewizja Polska, promising to turn Polish state media into a source of reliable information.
• Responding to EU farmer protests, push for changes to the European Green Deal.
• Oversaw arrests of MPs Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik, which became embroiled in resulting legal battles.
• Opposed the EU Migration Pact.
• Announced suspended right of migrants to seek asylum in Poland.
• Supported proposals to reduce benefits for Ukrainian refugees.
• Unveiled plans for economic deregulation.

Foregin Policy (2023-Present)

• Reaffirmed support to Ukraine and for "full mobilization" of the West.
• Criticized arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alongside Hamas leaders.
• Stated Ukraine's EU membership would require resolving issues related to Polish victims of the Volhynian Genocide.
• Guaranteed safe passage for senior Israeli officials to attend the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
• Emphasized the need for a united and well-armed Europe.

Personal Life

• Married to Małgorzata Sochacka in 1978.
• Has two children, Michał and Katarzyna, and five grandchildren.
• Belongs to the Kashubian minority and speaks Polish, Kashubian, German, and English.

Honours and Awards

• 2010: Charlemagne Prize of the city of Aachen.
• 2012: Walther-Rathenau-Preis.
• 2012: European Prize for Political Culture.
• 2017: Honorary doctorate at the University of Pécs, Hungary.
• 2018: Honorary doctorate at the TU Dortmund University, Germany.
• 2019: Honorary doctorate at the University of Lviv, Ukraine.
• 2008: Grand Cross Order of the Sun (Peru).
• 2012: Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (Norway).
• 2013: Presidential Order of Excellence (Georgia).
• 2014: Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (Estonia).
• 2019: The First Class of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise (Ukraine).
• 2021: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (Japan).