Donald Tusk: Polish politician and historian

Donald Tusk: Overview

• A Polish politician and historian serving as the Prime Minister of Poland since December 13, 2023.
• Previously held the same office from 2007 to 2014.
• Served as President of the European Council (2014-2019) and leader of the European People's Party (2019-2022).
• Co-founded Civic Platform (PO), a major Polish political party, and has been its leader from 2003-2014 and again since 2021.
• The longest-serving prime minister of the Third Polish Republic.

Early Political Career

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

First Premiership (2007-2014)

• Led PO to victory in the 2007 parliamentary election, becoming Prime Minister.
• Secured a second victory in the 2011 election, the first Polish PM re-elected since 1989.
• In 2014, he became President of the European Council.

Domestic Policy (First Term)

• Promised free market policies, streamlined bureaucracy, stable governance, tax cuts, and privatization.
• Later increased VAT from 22% to 23% in 2011, raised taxes on certain goods, and eliminated tax exemptions.
• Oversaw an austerity program.
• Prioritized construction of a national road network for the UEFA 2012 football championships.
• Proposed a partial ban on gambling.
• Defended the government's decision not to purchase swine flu vaccine during the 2009 pandemic.
• Described himself as moderately conservative on social issues, opposing abortion on demand and euthanasia.

Foreign Policy (First Term)

• Sought to improve relations with Germany and Russia.
• Advocated a more realistic relationship with Moscow, especially in energy policy.
• Russian bans on Polish meat and agricultural products were lifted.
• Poland reversed its disagreement on an EU-Russian partnership agreement.
• Withdrew military units from Iraq.
• Initially skeptical of U.S. missile defense shield plans but later supported them.
• Announced Polish soldiers would not take military action in Libya but supported the intervention.
• Supported Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán's controversial constitution.
• Supported committing Poland to signing the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).

European Policy (First Term)

• Supported greater political and economic integration within the EU.
• Strongly backed the Lisbon Treaty.
• Originally aimed to introduce the euro by 2012, later targeting 2015.
• Displayed less optimism about joining the Eurozone during the European sovereign debt crisis.
• Poland held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from July to December 2011, supporting Croatia's EU entry.
• Showed displeasure over the dominating roles of Germany and France in eurozone negotiations.

Constitutional Reform (First Term)

• Relations with President Lech Kaczyński were strained due to different ideologies.
• Proposed reforms to the Polish constitution, including abolishing the presidential veto.
• Proposed reducing the Sejm from 460 to 300 members.
• Proposed radical changes to the Senate, considering abolishing it or reducing its size.
• Recommended stripping parliamentary immunity for members of the Sejm and Senate.
• Suggested expanding the prime minister's role in foreign policy decisions.

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.
• Worked to coordinate the EU's response to the European migrant crisis.
• Warned illegal economic migrants against coming to Europe.
• Warned of dire consequences should the UK vote to leave the EU.
• Pursued a hard line on the UK's withdrawal, suggesting "no Brexit" as the only alternative to a "hard 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, receiving 27 of 28 votes in March 2017, with Poland voting against him.

Return to Polish Politics (2021) and Second Premiership (2023)

• Returned to Warsaw in July 2021, becoming leader of Civic Platform again.
• Organized and led anti-government protests in Warsaw in 2023.
• Advocated for enhanced LGBT rights, including same-sex civil unions.
• Civic Coalition finished second in the 2023 Polish parliamentary election.
• On November 10, Civic Coalition, New Left, the Polish People's Party and Poland 2050 formally signed an agreement to back Tusk as their candidate for prime minister.
• Nominated as prime minister by the Sejm on December 11, 2023, and his cabinet was sworn in on December 13, 2023.

Domestic Policy (Second Term)

• Dismissed top executives from Telewizja Polska, promising reliable information.
• Promised to turn Polish state media into a source of reliable information.
• Sit-in protest of PiS supporters at the premises of the national broadcaster, as well as a spat between Tusk and President Duda, ensued.
• Responding to protests by European farmers, Tusk said in February 2024 he would push for changes to the European Green Deal.
• Insisted in March 2024 that Poland would go its own way "without European coercion".
• Blamed the European Green Deal for high energy prices in the EU in January 2025.
• His administration oversaw the arrest of MPs Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik, tried for exceeding authority since 2015.
• President Duda had issued pardons to both, which were later ruled invalid by the Supreme Court.
• Both MPs stayed in the Presidential Palace in an attempt to have Duda shield them, however police arrested the convicts upon entering presidential premises, highlighting tensions between prime minister and president.
• Tusk opposed the EU Migration Pact in April 2024.
• Tusk announced in October 2024 plans to temporarily suspend the right of migrants to seek asylum in Poland.
• January 2025 Tusk supported proposals to reduce benefits paid by Poland to Ukrainian refugees, limiting eligibilty to those actually living in the country.
• February 2025 Tusk unveiled plans for economic deregulation to spur growth, appointing InPost CEO Rafał Brzoska to lead the advisory team.

Foreign Policy (Second Term)

• Met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on January 22, 2024, pledging support.
• Criticized neutrality in the Russo-Ukrainian War and called for full mobilization of the West.
• Supported efforts to strengthen European strength in the face of Russia.
• Criticized the International Criminal Court's arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alongside Hamas leaders in May 2024.
• Stated in August 2024 that Ukraine's EU membership would require resolving the issue of Polish victims of the Volhynian Genocide.
• Guaranteed safe passage for senior Israeli officials to an event in January 2025 marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
• February 2025, Poland was Europe's leading defence spender, allocating 4.7% of its GDP to military expenditure and significantly exceeding NATO's target threshold
• Tusk emphasized maintaining strong U.S.-European relations while advocating for increased European defence capabilities in February 2025.
• Ruled out sending Polish troops to Ukraine as part of a post-ceasefire peacekeeping force in February 2025.
• Emphasized the need for a united and well-armed Europe in March 2025.
• Proposed the creation of a European “Defense Bank” to finance military investments in March 2025.

Personal Life

• Married Małgorzata Sochacka in 1978; they have two children and five grandchildren.
• Belongs to the Kashubian minority in Poland.
• Speaks Polish, Kashubian, German, and English.
• Briefly criticized in 2014 for his poor English, but mastered it rapidly.