Ewa Kopacz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ewa Kopacz
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Kopacz in 2024
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| Prime Minister of Poland | |
| In office 22 September 2014 – 16 November 2015 |
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| President | Bronisław Komorowski Andrzej Duda |
| Deputy | Tomasz Siemoniak Janusz Piechociński |
| Preceded by | Donald Tusk |
| Succeeded by | Beata Szydło |
| Vice-President of the European Parliament | |
| Assumed office 3 July 2019 Serving with see list
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| President | David Sassoli Roberta Metsola |
| Preceded by | Zdzisław Krasnodębski |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| Assumed office 2 July 2019 |
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| Constituency | Greater Poland |
| Leader of the Civic Platform | |
| In office 8 November 2014 – 26 January 2016 |
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| Secretary General | Paweł Graś Andrzej Biernat |
| Preceded by | Donald Tusk |
| Succeeded by | Grzegorz Schetyna |
| Marshal of the Sejm | |
| In office 8 November 2011 – 22 September 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Grzegorz Schetyna |
| Succeeded by | Radosław Sikorski |
| Minister of Health | |
| In office 16 November 2007 – 8 November 2011 |
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| Prime Minister | Donald Tusk |
| Preceded by | Zbigniew Religa |
| Succeeded by | Bartosz Arłukowicz |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Ewa Lis
3 December 1956 Skaryszew, Poland |
| Political party | United People's Party (before 1989) Freedom Union (1994–2001) Civic Platform (2001–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
European People's Party |
| Spouse |
Marek Kopacz
(div. 2008) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Medical University of Lublin |
| Awards |    |
Ewa Kopacz (born 3 December 1956) is a Polish politician. She has been a Vice-President of the European Parliament since 2019. Before that, she was the Prime Minister of Poland from 2014 to 2015. She was also the Marshal of the Sejm (like the speaker of parliament) from 2011 to 2014. She was the first woman to hold this important role.
Kopacz also served as the Minister of Health from 2007 to 2011. Since 2001, she has been a member of the Civic Platform political party, and she led the party from 2014 to 2016. She became Prime Minister after Donald Tusk, and was the second woman to hold this position in Poland's history.
Before she became a politician, Ewa Kopacz worked as a doctor. She was a pediatrician (a children's doctor) and a general practitioner. In 2015, Forbes magazine named her the 40th most powerful woman in the world.
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Early Life and Education
Ewa Kopacz was born in Skaryszew, Poland. Her father was a mechanic and her mother was a tailor. She grew up in the city of Radom, where she finished high school.
In 1981, she graduated from the Medical University of Lublin. She then trained to become a family doctor and specialized in helping children. Before entering politics, she worked in health clinics in small towns like Orońsko, Chlewiska, and Szydłowiec. She even led the local health care center in Szydłowiec until 2001.
Political Journey
Ewa Kopacz started her political journey in the 1980s. She joined the United People's Party. Later, in the 1990s, she joined the Freedom Union party. She became a councilor for the Masovian Voivodship in 1998.
In 2001, Kopacz joined the new Civic Platform political party. She was elected to the Polish Parliament, called the Sejm, in 2001. She was re-elected in 2005, 2007, and 2011. In 2005, she became the head of the Health Committee in Parliament.
Minister of Health
From 2007 to 2011, Ewa Kopacz served as Poland's Minister of Health. During the 2009 flu pandemic, she made headlines. She asked drug companies to prove their swine flu vaccines were safe and effective. She also demanded they take full responsibility for any side effects. Poland decided not to buy the vaccine at that time, following her advice.
Prime Minister of Poland
On 22 September 2014, Ewa Kopacz became the Prime Minister of Poland. She took over after Donald Tusk left to become the President of the European Council. She also became the leader of the Civic Platform party in November 2014.
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As Prime Minister, Kopacz promised to keep Poland's foreign policy stable. She said her government would support neighboring Ukraine and wanted a stronger U.S. military presence in Poland. This was to help protect Poland from possible threats.
At her first meeting with other European Union leaders in October 2014, Kopacz helped Poland get good deals on cutting carbon emissions. Her government also focused on improving air quality in Poland. They declared 2015 the "Year of Improving Air Quality."
In June 2015, she changed some of her government's ministers. This happened after her party's ally, President Bronislaw Komorowski, lost the presidential election. She brought in some new faces, including a former Olympic rower and a famous heart surgeon, to try and gain more public trust.
In the 2015 national elections, Ewa Kopacz received many votes, showing strong support for her. However, her party lost the overall election. She resigned as Prime Minister on 16 November 2015, and Beata Szydło became the new Prime Minister.
Member of the European Parliament
Since 2019, Ewa Kopacz has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). She was elected during the 2019 European Parliament election. In this role, she serves as one of the Vice-Presidents. This means she is part of the Parliament's leadership team. She has worked with Presidents David Sassoli and Roberta Metsola.
She is also part of the European People's Party Group (EPP), which is a large political group in the European Parliament. She has joined special committees that work on important issues like fighting cancer and dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. She is also a member of the "MEPs Against Cancer" group.
See also
- Cabinet of Ewa Kopacz
- History of Poland (1989–present)
- List of political parties in Poland
- List of politicians in Poland
- Politics of Poland
