Donald Tusk: Polish Politician

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

Early Political Involvement

• Tusk has been involved in Polish politics since 1989.
• He co-founded the Liberal Democratic Congress (KLD), a free market-oriented party.
• In 1991, Tusk entered the Sejm, but lost his seat in 1993.
• The KLD merged with the Democratic Union in 1994 to create the Freedom Union.
• Tusk was elected to the Senate in 1997, becoming its deputy marshal.
• In 2001, he co-founded Civic Platform (PO) and was re-elected to the Sejm, becoming its deputy marshal.

2005 Presidential Election

• Tusk ran for President of Poland in 2005 but was unsuccessful.
• Lech Kaczyński and Tusk were the leading candidates.
• There were key differences, Tusk favored separation of church and state, rapid European integration, and a free-market economy, while Kaczyński was socially conservative, Eurosceptic, and favored state intervention.
• Tusk's campaign motto was "President Tusk – A man with principles; We will be proud of Poland."
• He received 36.6% of votes in the first round.
• During the election, accusations arose regarding Tusk's grandfather, Józef Tusk.

First Premiership (2007-2014)

• The Civic Platform party won the 2007 Polish parliamentary election.
• Tusk was sworn in as Prime Minister on November 16, becoming the fourteenth prime minister of the Third Polish Republic.
• Civic Platform retained its majority in the 2011 Polish parliamentary election, giving Tusk a second term.
• Tusk became the first Polish PM re-elected since the fall of communism.
• In 2014, he resigned to become President of the European Council.

Domestic Policies (2007-2014)

• Tusk initially promised free market policies, bureaucracy streamlining, stable governance, tax cuts for foreign business, encouraging citizens abroad to return, and privatization of state-owned companies.
• Later, views changed on taxation, and the government raised VAT, increased taxes on certain goods, and eliminated tax exemptions.
• The number of public administration employees increased, and foreign investments dropped below pre-premiership levels.
• An austerity program was implemented.
• A national road network was constructed for the UEFA 2012 football championships.

Social Issues (2007-2014)

• Tusk is moderately conservative on social issues.
• He opposed legalizing abortion on demand
• He opposed euthanasia.
• However, in June 2022, Tusk changed his stance on abortion, supporting legalization up to 12 weeks.

Foreign Policy (2007-2014)

• Tusk aimed to improve relations with Germany and Russia.
• Polish military units were withdrawn from Iraq.
• He showed initial skepticism toward U.S. missile defense shield bases.
• Polish soldiers did not take military action in Libya, but logistical support was offered.
• Tusk supported Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's controversial constitution.
• He initially supported signing ACTA but promised internet freedom assurances.

European Policy (2007-2014)

• Tusk backed greater EU integration and the Lisbon Treaty.
• The goal was to bring Poland into the Eurozone (originally by 2012, then by 2015).
• Poland, under Tusk's government, held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from July to December 2011.
• He expressed displeasure over the dominating roles of Germany and France in eurozone negotiations.

Constitutional Reform (2007-2014)

• Relations strained between Tusk and President Lech Kaczyński due to differing ideologies.
• Kaczyński vetoed legislation from Tusk's government.
• Tusk proposed abolishing the presidential veto and reducing the Sejm's membership.

President of the European Council (2014-2019)

• Tusk succeeded Herman Van Rompuy on December 1, 2014.
• He promoted a unified European response to Russia's intervention in Ukraine.
• Attempts were made to coordinate the EU's response to the European migrant crisis.
• He warned illegal economic migrants against coming to Europe.
• Tusk warned of dire consequences should the UK vote to leave the EU.
• He pursued a hard line on the UK's withdrawal, suggesting that the only real alternative to a "hard Brexit" is "no Brexit."
• In 2018, Tusk opposed the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.

Controversies as EU President

• In January 2017, Tusk stated the Trump administration presented a threat to the EU.
• In March 2017, he was re-elected for a second term, but the Polish Prime Minister voted against him.
• In February 2019, Tusk said 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."
• Tusk condemned the 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria.

Second Premiership (2023-Present)

• Tusk returned to Warsaw in July 2021, re-engaging in Polish politics as leader of Civic Platform.

Return to Poland

• He organized anti-government protests in Warsaw, including the "March of a Million Hearts."
• During his campaign, Tusk advocated for enhanced LGBT rights, including same-sex civil unions.
• In the 2023 Polish parliamentary election, Civic Coalition finished as the second-largest bloc in the Sejm.
• Civic Coalition, Third Way, and New Left won enough seats to form a government.
• President Duda nominated Mateusz Morawiecki, who failed to secure a vote of confidence.
• Tusk was then elected by the Sejm to become prime minister for a third time.
• His cabinet was sworn in on December 13, ending eight years of PiS government.

Domestic events since 2023.

• Upon assuming office, Tusk dismissed the top executives from Telewizja Polska, promising to turn Polish state media into a source of reliable information.
• In February 2024, Tusk said he would push for changes to the European Green Deal.
• Tusk’s administration oversaw the arrests of MPs Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik.
• In April 2024, Tusk opposed the EU Migration Pact.
• 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, limiting eligibility to those actually living in the country.
• In February 2025, Tusk unveiled plans for economic deregulation to spur growth, appointing InPost CEO Rafał Brzoska to lead the advisory team.

Foreign policy since 2023.

• On 22 January 2024, Tusk arrived in Kyiv, Ukraine on a working visit and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
• In May 2024, Tusk criticized the International Criminal Court's arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alongside Hamas leaders
• In August 2024, Tusk stated that Ukraine's membership in the European Union would not be possible without resolving the question of Polish victims of the Volhynian Genocide and their proper remembrance
• In January 2025, Tusk guaranteed safe passage for senior Israeli officials to travel to an event marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp
• In February 2025, Tusk emphasized maintaining strong U.S.-European relations while advocating for increased European defence capabilities.
• In March 2025, Tusk emphasized the need for a united and well-armed Europe, proposing the creation of a European “Defense Bank” to finance military investments.

Early Life and Education

• Tusk was born and raised in Gdańsk, Poland.
• He has Polish, German, and Kashubian origins.
• His father was a carpenter, and his mother was a nurse.
• His paternal grandfather was imprisoned in the Neuengamme concentration camp.
• Tusk studied history at the University of Gdańsk, graduating in 1980.

Personal Information

• Tusk married Małgorzata Sochacka in 1978.
• They have two children: Michał and Katarzyna.
• Tusk belongs to the Kashubian minority in Poland.
• He speaks Polish, Kashubian, German, and English.
• In 2019, Tusk published his memoir Szczerze (Honestly).

Honors 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 (Norway, 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)