Donald Tusk: Polish Politician and Prime Minister

• Donald Franciszek Tusk was born on April 22, 1957, in Gdańsk, Poland.
• Tusk is a Polish politician and historian and has been the Prime Minister of Poland since December 13, 2023.
• He previously served as Prime Minister of Poland from 2007 to 2014.
• Tusk was the President of the European Council from 2014 to 2019.
• He was the leader of the European People's Party from 2019 to 2022.
• Tusk co-founded Civic Platform (PO), a major Polish political party.
• He led Civic Platform from 2003 to 2014 and again from 2021.
• Tusk is the longest-serving prime minister of the Third Polish Republic.

Early Political Career

• Tusk has been involved in Polish politics since 1989, co-founding parties such as the Liberal Democratic Congress (KLD).
• He entered the Sejm in 1991, lost his seat in 1993, and in 1994, the KLD merged to form the Freedom Union.
• In 1997, Tusk was elected to the Senate and became its deputy marshal.
• In 2001, he co-founded Civic Platform (PO) and was elected to the Sejm, becoming its deputy marshal.
• He ran unsuccessfully for President of Poland in 2005.

First Premiership (2007-2014)

• Civic Platform (PO) won the 2007 parliamentary election, and Tusk became prime minister on November 16.
• Civic Platform (PO) won the 2011 election, making Tusk the first Polish prime minister re-elected since 1989.
• In 2014, Tusk left Polish politics to become President of the European Council and was succeeded by Ewa Kopacz.

Return to Polish Politics

• Civic Platform lost control of the presidency and parliament to the Law and Justice (PiS) party in 2015.
• Tusk returned to Polish politics in 2021, becoming leader of Civic Platform again.
• In the 2023 election, Civic Coalition won 157 seats in the Sejm.
• Tusk was elected prime minister for a third time on December 11 after Mateusz Morawiecki failed to win a vote of confidence.
• His cabinet was sworn in on December 13, ending eight years of PiS government.

First Term Policies

• Tusk wished to be seen as pragmatic, aiming to reduce and digitize the public sector.
• He invested heavily in infrastructure for Euro 2012, expanding highways but affecting the rail sector.

Second Term Issues

• Scandals, unfulfilled promises, and economic cooling in 2012–2014 led to a drop in public support.
• He opposed what he viewed as democratic backsliding during PiS's dominance.
• Since returning to power in 2023, Tusk has focused on the rule of law and improving relations with the EU.
• He has continued aid to Ukraine after the Russian invasion.
• In 2024, he adopted right-wing themes, such as opposition to illegal migration and prioritizing border security.

Early Life and Education

• Tusk was raised in Gdańsk and has Polish, German, and Kashubian roots.
• 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 defected from the Wehrmacht to join the Polish Armed Forces in the West.
• Tusk studied history at the University of Gdańsk, graduating in 1980.

Views and Influences

• Tusk considers his Kashubian ancestry and multilingual background as shaping his political views against orthodoxy, ideology, and nationalism.
• He recalls his youth under communism as hopeless.
• Tusk credits clashes between striking workers and riot police for his interest in politics.

2005 Polish Presidential Election

• Tusk and Lech Kaczyński were the leading candidates, but differed on key issues.
• Tusk favored separation of church and state, rapid European integration, and a free-market economy.
• Kaczyński was socially conservative, somewhat Eurosceptic, and supported state intervention.
• Tusk received 36.6% of votes in the first round and was defeated by Kaczyński in the second round.
• A controversy arose regarding Tusk's grandfather's service in the German Wehrmacht.

Domestic Policy (2007-2014)

• Tusk initially promised free market policies, streamlined bureaucracy, and tax cuts but later raised VAT and other taxes.
• The number of public administration employees grew, and foreign investments did not match pre-2008 levels.
• His government oversaw an austerity program.
• The construction of a national road network for the UEFA 2012 championships was a priority.
• Tusk wanted to partially ban gambling and defended his government's decision not to purchase swine flu vaccine during the 2009 pandemic.
• He is moderately conservative on social issues, initially opposing legalizing abortion on demand and euthanasia.
• He changed his stance on abortion in June 2022, supporting legalization up to 12 weeks.

Foreign Policy (2007-2014)

• Tusk aimed to improve relations with Germany and Russia; Russian bans on Polish meat and agricultural products were lifted.
• Polish troops were withdrawn from Iraq.
• Initially skeptical of U.S. missile defense shield bases, Tusk later supported the project.
• Polish soldiers did not take military action in Libya but offered logistical support for the 2011 intervention.
• He supported Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's controversial constitution.
• Tusk supported signing the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), leading to web attacks and mass protests.

European Policy (2007-2014)

• Tusk supported greater EU integration and the Lisbon Treaty.
• He aimed to bring Poland into the Eurozone, initially by 2012, then 2015, but showed less optimism during the European debt crisis.
• Poland, under Tusk, held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from July to December 2011.
• He expressed displeasure over German and French dominance in eurozone negotiations.

Constitutional Reform (2007-2014)

• Relations between Tusk and President Lech Kaczyński were strained.
• Kaczyński blocked Tusk's legislation using presidential veto powers.
• Tusk proposed abolishing the presidential veto and reducing the Sejm from 460 to 300 members and the Senate from 100 to 49.
• He also proposed stripping parliamentary immunity and expanding the prime minister's role in foreign policy.
• Tusk opted to remain as prime minister rather than run for president in 2010.

President of the European Council (2014–2019)

• Tusk worked to unify Europe's response to Russia's intervention in Ukraine.
• He coordinated the EU's response to the migrant crisis and warned economic migrants against coming to Europe.
• He warned of dire consequences if the UK voted to leave the EU.
• After the UK voted to leave, he pursued a firm line on the UK's withdrawal.
• In 2018, he opposed the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
• In 2017, Tusk stated the Trump administration posed a threat to the EU.
• He was re-elected for a second term in 2017, with Poland voting against him.
• He urged Turkey to avoid actions against EU members and expressed concern over the Turkish invasion of northern Syria in 2018.
• Tusk said there was "a special place in Hell" for those who promoted Brexit without a plan.
• He stated that the EU should open accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia.
• He condemned the 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria.

Return to Polish Politics and Anti-Government Protests (2021-2023)

• In July 2021, Tusk returned to Polish politics as leader of Civic Platform.
• He organized anti-government protests, including a large demonstration on June 4, 2023, and the "March of a Million Hearts" on October 1.
• Tusk 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.
• Parties agreed to support Tusk as their candidate for prime minister.
• Tusk's cabinet was sworn in on December 13.

Domestic Policy (2023-Present)

• Tusk dismissed top executives from Telewizja Polska.
• He promised to turn Polish state media into a source of reliable information.
• Tusk expressed intentions to seek changes to the European Green Deal.
• He oversaw the arrests of MPs Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik.
• In April 2024, Tusk opposed the EU Migration Pact.
• In October 2024, Tusk announced plans to temporarily suspend the right of migrants to seek asylum in Poland.
• In January 2025, Tusk supported proposals to reduce benefits paid by Poland to Ukrainian refugees.
• In February 2025, Tusk unveiled plans for economic deregulation.

Foreign Policy (2023-Present)

• Tusk met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv in January 2024.
• Tusk has supported efforts to strengthen European strength in the face of Russia.
• In May 2024, Tusk criticized the International Criminal Court's arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
• In August 2024, Tusk stated that Ukraine's EU membership would not be possible without resolving the issue of Polish victims of the Volhynian Genocide and their proper remembrance.
• In January 2025, Tusk guaranteed safe passage for senior Israeli officials to an event marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
• In February 2025, Poland was Europe's leading defense spender, allocating 4.7% of its GDP to the military.
• Poland emphasized the need to address historical issues for Ukraine's EU accession.
• In March 2025, Tusk emphasized the need for a united and well-armed Europe.

Personal Life

• Donald Tusk married Małgorzata Sochacka in 1978, and they have two children and five grandchildren.
• His son Michał worked for OLT Express airline, owned by Amber Gold, a Ponzi scheme.
• Tusk identifies with the Kashubian minority in Poland.
• He speaks Polish, Kashubian, German, and English.
• He requested a Catholic marriage ceremony with his wife Małgorzata in 2005.

Honours and Awards

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