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Donald Franciszek Tusk (born 22 April 1957) is a Polish politician and historian. He is currently the Prime Minister of Poland, a role he also held from 2007 to 2014. He was also the President of the European Council from 2014 to 2019, which is a very important job in the European Union. Tusk also led the European People's Party (EPP) from 2019 to 2022. He helped start the Civic Platform (PO) party in 2001 and has been its leader since 2021, and before that from 2003 to 2014.

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. His grandfather was a railway worker who was held in a concentration camp during World War II. Later, he was forced to join the German army but managed to join the Polish forces instead.

Growing up in Gdańsk, Tusk saw it as a city with "many borders" between different groups of people. This helped him understand that life and history are not always simple. He learned to be open-minded and not stick to just one idea, especially avoiding strong nationalism. He felt that life under communism when he was young was "hopeless" and boring. He described himself as a "typical hooligan" who often got into fights.

Tusk became interested in politics when he saw clashes between striking workers and riot police as a teenager. He studied history at the University of Gdańsk and graduated in 1980. While studying, he was part of the Student Committee of Solidarity, a group that worked against Poland's communist government.

Political Journey

Tusk has been involved in Polish politics since the early 1990s. He helped start several political parties and has been elected to public office almost continuously since 1991. He was one of the founders of the Liberal Democratic Congress party, which believed in a free market economy.

In 1991, he became a member of the Sejm, which is the lower house of Poland's parliament. However, he lost his seat in the 1993 election. In 1994, his party joined with another to form the Freedom Union.

In 1997, Tusk was elected to the Senate of Poland, the upper house of parliament, and became its deputy speaker. In 2001, he co-founded another center-right party called Civic Platform (PO). He was then elected to the Sejm again and became its deputy speaker. In 2005, Tusk ran for president of Poland. 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 on 9 November 2007

Policies in Poland

When Tusk first became Prime Minister, he promised to continue policies that supported a free market. He wanted to make government services simpler, have stable leadership, lower taxes to attract foreign businesses, encourage Poles living abroad to return, and sell state-owned companies to private owners.

However, later in his time as Prime Minister, Tusk changed some of his views. His government did not cut taxes. Instead, they increased VAT (a type of sales tax) and taxes on things like diesel, alcohol, and tobacco. The number of people working for the government also grew. Foreign investments in Poland did not reach the same high levels as before he took office.

His government focused on building better roads for the UEFA 2012 football championships. Tusk also wanted to partially ban gambling. During the 2009 swine flu pandemic, he decided not to buy swine flu vaccines. He explained that there wasn't enough testing by drug companies, and the vaccines were not easily available for purchase.

Working with Other Countries

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Prime Minister Tusk with Barack Obama, 2014

In foreign policy, Tusk aimed to improve Poland's relationships with other countries, especially Germany and Russia, which had been difficult under the previous government. He wanted a more practical relationship with Russia, especially concerning energy. Under his leadership, Russia lifted bans on Polish meat and farm products.

Tusk also proposed withdrawing Polish soldiers from Iraq. The last Polish military units left Iraq in October 2008.

Regarding the U.S. plan to have missile defense shield bases in Poland, Tusk was at first unsure. He worried that these bases might increase security risks from Russia. However, he later supported the missile shield, saying it would make both Poland and the United States safer. When U.S. President Barack Obama changed the missile defense plan, Tusk saw it as a chance to strengthen cooperation between Poland and the U.S.

Tusk announced that Polish soldiers would not take part in military action in Libya, but he supported the international efforts there and offered logistical help.

In early 2012, Tusk supported Poland signing the international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). This agreement aimed to fight against fake goods. In response, some government websites were hacked. Despite protests from internet groups, Tusk allowed the agreement to be signed. However, he promised that the final law would not pass without making sure people's freedom to access the internet was protected.

European Policy

Tusk strongly supported Poland's closer political and economic ties with the European Union. He was a big supporter of the Treaty of Lisbon, an important agreement for the EU. Tusk also wanted Poland to join the Eurozone, the group of EU countries that use the euro currency. He hoped for Poland to join by 2015. However, during the European debt crisis, he became less optimistic about joining right away.

From July to December 2011, Poland, under Tusk's government, held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. During this time, Poland supported Croatia joining the European Union.

Poland is part of the Weimar Triangle with Germany and France. Tusk sometimes expressed unhappiness that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy seemed to dominate discussions about the Eurozone.

Changes to the Constitution

After becoming Prime Minister, Tusk often disagreed with President Lech Kaczyński because they had different political ideas. President Kaczyński used his veto power to block laws proposed by Tusk's government, including changes to pensions and state television.

Tusk suggested several changes to the Polish constitution. In 2009, he proposed removing the president's veto power. He believed that the president should not be able to block the will of the majority in parliament. He also suggested reducing the number of members in the Sejm from 460 to 300 and even abolishing the Senate (the upper house) or reducing its members. He also wanted to remove parliamentary immunity for most members of parliament.

Tusk believed that the prime minister's role in foreign policy should be much bigger. By reducing the president's power, he aimed to put more executive power in the hands of the prime minister, who is directly responsible to the government and parliament. This would also avoid confusion about who represents Poland at international meetings.

In 2010, Tusk decided not to run for president again, even though it was a very high-profile election. He preferred to stay as prime minister, believing it was key to Poland's success. His party then chose Bronisław Komorowski, who won the election.

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 2016

On 1 December 2014, Donald Tusk became the President of the European Council, taking over from Herman Van Rompuy. In this role, he helped coordinate the EU's response to the European migrant crisis. He also warned people who were not refugees but economic migrants not to come to Europe illegally.

Before the UK's vote to leave the EU (known as Brexit), Tusk warned that there would be serious consequences if the UK left. After the vote, he took a firm stance on the UK's withdrawal, saying that the only real choice for the UK, besides a difficult "hard Brexit," was "no Brexit" at all.

Tusk has also spoken against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which runs from Russia to Germany.

In January 2017, Tusk wrote an open letter to the leaders of the 27 EU countries. In this letter, he said that the Trump administration in the U.S. presented a threat to the EU, similar to a more assertive China, an aggressive Russia, and conflicts in the Middle East and Africa.

On 9 March 2017, Tusk was re-elected for a second term as President of the European Council, which lasted until 30 November 2019. He received 27 out of 28 votes.

Second Term as Prime Minister (2023–present)

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

In July 2021, Donald Tusk returned to Poland and became actively involved in Polish politics again as the leader of Civic Platform.

In the 2023 Polish parliamentary election, Tusk's Civic Coalition became the second-largest group in the Sejm. Together with two other opposition parties, Third Way and New Left, they won enough seats (54% of the vote) to form a government. On 10 November, these parties officially agreed to support Tusk as their candidate for prime minister.

The President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, first nominated the previous prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, for another term. However, Morawiecki's party did not have enough support to stay in office. On 11 December, Morawiecki's government lost a vote of confidence in the Sejm. After this, the Sejm nominated Tusk as its candidate for prime minister by a vote of 248 to 201. Tusk's new government was sworn in on 13 December.

In February 2025, Poland became Europe's top defense spender, using 4.7% of its national income for military spending, which is much more than NATO's target. Tusk has stressed the importance of strong relations between the U.S. and Europe, while also supporting increased defense capabilities for Europe.

In March 2025, Tusk highlighted the need for a united and well-armed Europe. He suggested creating a European "Defense Bank" to help fund military investments.

Personal Life

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

Tusk speaks four languages: Polish, Kashubian, German, and English.

In December 2019, Tusk published his memoir called Szczerze ("Honestly"). This book was based on his five years as President of the European Council and became a bestseller in Poland. He became the President of the European People's Party on 1 December 2019, the day after he left his role as President of the European Council. He stepped down from this position on 1 June 2022.

Awards and Recognition

Donald Tusk has received several important awards for his work.

  • In 2010, he received the Charlemagne Prize from the city of Aachen, Germany. This award recognized his efforts to bring Europe closer together. He dedicated the prize to the people who died in a plane crash in April 2010, including Polish President Lech Kaczyński.
  • In 2012, he received the Walther-Rathenau-Preis for his commitment to European integration and for improving dialogue between Poland and Germany. German Chancellor Angela Merkel praised him as a "farsighted European."
  • He also received the European Prize for Political Culture in 2012.
  • He has received honorary doctorates from several universities, including the University of Pécs in Hungary (2017), TU Dortmund University in Germany (2018), and the University of Lviv in Ukraine (2019).

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