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Donald Tusk
Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland in the Oval Office in 2024 (cropped).jpg
Tusk in 2024
Prime Minister of Poland
Assumed office
13 December 2023
President Andrzej Duda
Deputy
  • Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz
  • Krzysztof Gawkowski
Preceded by Mateusz Morawiecki
In office
16 November 2007 – 22 September 2014
President
Deputy
Preceded by Jarosław Kaczyński
Succeeded by Ewa Kopacz
President of the European Council
In office
1 December 2014 – 30 November 2019
Preceded by Herman Van Rompuy
Succeeded by Charles Michel
Leader of the Civic Platform
Assumed office
3 July 2021
Preceded by Borys Budka
In office
1 June 2003 – 8 November 2014
Preceded by Maciej Płażyński
Succeeded by Ewa Kopacz
President of the European People's Party
In office
1 December 2019 – 1 June 2022
Preceded by Joseph Daul
Succeeded by Manfred Weber
Deputy Marshal of the Sejm
In office
18 October 2001 – 18 October 2005
Serving with others
Marshal
Preceded by Jan Król
Succeeded by Bronisław Komorowski
Deputy Marshal of the Senate
In office
20 October 1997 – 18 October 2001
Serving with others
Marshal Alicja Grześkowiak
Preceded by Zofia Kuratowska
Succeeded by Kazimierz Kutz
Personal details
Born
Donald Franciszek Tusk

(1957-04-22) 22 April 1957 (age 68)
Gdańsk, Polish People's Republic
Political party
  • Civic Platform (since 2001)
  • Freedom Union (1994–2001)
  • Liberal Democratic Congress (1990–1994)
Other political
affiliations		 Poland:
Civic Coalition (since 2018)
European Union:
European People's Party (2014–2022)
Spouse
Małgorzata Sochacka
​
(m. 1978)​
Children 2
Education University of Gdańsk
Awards
See list
Signature

Donald Franciszek Tusk (born 22 April 1957) is a Polish politician and historian. He has served as the Prime Minister of Poland since 2023. He was also Prime Minister from 2007 to 2014.

From 2014 to 2019, Tusk was the President of the European Council. This is a very important role in the European Union. He also led the European People's Party from 2019 to 2022. Tusk helped start the Civic Platform (PO) party in 2001. He has been its leader since 2021, and also led it from 2003 to 2014.

Donald Tusk's Early Life and Education

Donald Tusk was born in Gdańsk, a city in northern Poland. His family background includes Polish, German, and Kashubian roots. His father was a carpenter, and his mother was a nurse.

Tusk grew up in a city with "many borders" between different groups. This taught him that "nothing is simple in life or in history." He learned to be open-minded and avoid extreme ideas like nationalism. Life under communism felt "hopeless" and boring to him. As a teenager, he was a "typical hooligan" and often got into fights.

He became interested in politics by watching workers protest against the police. Tusk studied history at the University of Gdańsk. He graduated in 1980. While at university, he joined the Student Committee of Solidarity. This group worked against Poland's communist government.

Donald Tusk's Political Journey

Tusk has been active in Polish politics since the early 1990s. He helped create several political parties. He has been elected to public office almost continuously since 1991.

He co-founded the Liberal Democratic Congress party. This party supported a free market economy. In 1991, he became a member of the Sejm. The Sejm is the lower house of Poland's parliament. He lost his seat in the 1993 election.

In 1994, his party joined with another to form the Freedom Union. Tusk was elected to the Senate in 1997. He became its deputy speaker. In 2001, he co-founded the Civic Platform (PO) party. He was again elected to the Sejm and became its deputy speaker.

Tusk ran for president of Poland in 2005. He was later appointed Prime Minister in 2007.

Prime Minister of Poland (2007–2014)

Tusk L Kaczynski 2007
Donald Tusk (right) being appointed as Prime Minister by President Lech Kaczyński in 2007.

Donald Tusk served as Prime Minister of Poland for seven years. This was his first time in this important role.

Key Domestic Policies in Poland

When Tusk first became Prime Minister, he promised several things. He wanted to continue free-market policies. He also aimed to make government work more smoothly. He hoped to cut taxes to attract foreign businesses. Another goal was to encourage Poles living abroad to return home.

His government also focused on building better roads. This was important for the UEFA 2012 football championships held in Poland. Tusk also wanted to partially ban gambling. During the 2009 swine flu pandemic, he decided not to buy vaccines. He felt they were not tested enough and too expensive.

Poland's Foreign Relations

Obama Poland Tusk (2)
Prime Minister Tusk with Barack Obama in 2014.

In foreign policy, Tusk worked to improve Poland's relationships. He especially wanted better ties with Germany and Russia. He aimed for a more practical relationship with Russia. This was important for energy supplies. Under his leadership, Russia lifted bans on Polish food products.

Tusk also decided to withdraw Polish troops from Iraq. He said Poland had fulfilled its promise to its ally, the United States. The last Polish troops left Iraq in October 2008.

Poland also discussed hosting missile defense shield bases from the U.S. Tusk was first unsure about this. He worried it might increase risks from Russia. But he later supported the missile shield. He believed it would make both countries safer.

Msc 2009-Saturday, 11.00 - 13.00 Uhr-Dett 014 Ischinger Sarkozy Merkel Tusk
Prime Minister Donald Tusk with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy at a security conference in 2009.
Dmitry Medvedev in Poland 6 December 2010-16
Donald Tusk with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in 2010.
Wizyta Orbana 12.03.2014 (13)
Donald Tusk with Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán in 2014.

Tusk stated that Polish soldiers would not fight in Libya. However, he supported the 2011 military action there. He also offered logistical help.

In 2012, Tusk supported signing the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). This agreement aimed to fight fake goods. Some people protested this, worried about internet freedom. Government websites were even hacked. Despite protests, Poland signed the agreement. Tusk promised that final laws would protect internet access.

Poland and the European Union

Tusk strongly supported Poland's role in the European Union. He wanted more political and economic cooperation. He pushed for Poland to adopt the euro currency. He hoped this would happen by 2015. However, during the European debt crisis, this plan slowed down.

From July to December 2011, Poland held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. During this time, Poland supported Croatia joining the EU.

Tusk also expressed concern about Germany and France. He felt they had too much power in EU discussions. He said that decisions "cannot be left to only two capitals of Europe."

President of the European Council (2014–2019)

HANDSHAKE - BRATISLAVA SUMMIT 16. SEPTEMBER 2016 (29603840082)
Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker with Angela Merkel and Robert Fico at the Bratislava Summit in 2016.

On 1 December 2014, Donald Tusk became the President of the European Council. This is a top job in the European Union. He took over from Herman Van Rompuy.

Tusk worked to manage the European migrant crisis. He warned people coming to Europe illegally for economic reasons not to come.

Before the UK's EU membership vote, Tusk warned of serious problems if the UK left. After the vote, he took a firm stance on Brexit. He said the only real choice to a "hard Brexit" was "no Brexit."

Tusk was against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. This pipeline was planned to bring gas from Russia to Germany.

In 2017, Tusk wrote a letter to EU leaders. He said that the Trump administration was a threat to the EU. He compared it to challenges from China, Russia, and conflicts in the Middle East and Africa.

President Trump's Trip Abroad (34502607780)
Tusk meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and US President Donald Trump in May 2017.

On 9 March 2017, Tusk was re-elected for a second term. He received 27 out of 28 votes from EU leaders. His second term lasted until 30 November 2019.

Візит Зеленського до інституцій ЄС і НАТО у Брюсселі, 2019, 14
Tusk with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Brussels, June 2019.

Second Time as Prime Minister (2023–Present)

02023 0394 Open Meeting with Donald Tusk in Ustroń
Tusk in 2023.

In July 2021, Donald Tusk returned to Polish politics. He became the leader of the Civic Platform party again.

In the 2023 Polish parliamentary election, Tusk's Civic Coalition came in second. However, his party and two others won enough seats together to form a new government. On 10 November, these parties agreed to support Tusk as Prime Minister.

The previous Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, tried to form a government but failed. On 11 December, the Sejm voted against Morawiecki's government. The Sejm then nominated Tusk as their choice for Prime Minister. Tusk's new government officially started on 13 December.

In early 2025, Poland became Europe's top defense spender. It spent 4.7% of its GDP on its military. This was much more than NATO's target. Tusk stressed the importance of strong ties between the U.S. and Europe. He also called for Europe to increase its own defense abilities.

In March 2025, Tusk suggested creating a European "Defense Bank." This bank would help fund military investments. He believes Europe needs to be united and well-armed.

Donald Tusk's Personal Life

Donald Tusk married Małgorzata Sochacka in 1978. They have two children, a son named Michał and a daughter named Katarzyna.

Tusk can speak four languages. These are Polish, Kashubian, German, and English.

In December 2019, Tusk released his memoir called Szczerze ("Honestly"). It was about his five years as President of the European Council. The book became a bestseller in Poland. He also became the President of the European People's Party in December 2019. He stepped down from this role in June 2022.

Awards and Recognition

Donald Tusk has received several important awards.

  • In 2010, he received the Charlemagne Prize. This award is for people who help unite Europe. He dedicated the prize to those who died in a plane crash in 2010. German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave the speech for his award.
  • In 2012, he received the Walther-Rathenau-Preis. This was for his work on European integration. Angela Merkel called him a "farsighted European."
  • He also received the European Prize for Political Culture in 2012.
  • Tusk has received honorary doctorates from several universities. These include the University of Pécs in Hungary (2017), TU Dortmund University in Germany (2018), and the University of Lviv in Ukraine (2019).

Images for kids

See also

  • First Cabinet of Donald Tusk
  • Second Cabinet of Donald Tusk
  • Third Cabinet of Donald Tusk
  • History of Poland (1989–present)
  • List of political parties in Poland
  • List of politicians in Poland
  • Politics of Poland
  • List of Poles
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