Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz
Official portrait, 2025
Member of the European Parliament for Poland
Incumbent
Assumed office 10 October 2024
Preceded by	Marcin Kierwiński
Constituency	Warsaw
Mayor of Warsaw
In office 2 December 2006 – 22 November 2018
Preceded by	Lech Kaczyński Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz (Acting)
Succeeded by	Rafał Trzaskowski
Member of the Sejm
In office 26 October 2005 – 26 November 2006
Constituency	Warsaw I
Vice President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
In office July 2001 – July 2004
President	Jean Lemierre
President of the National Bank of Poland
In office 5 March 1992 – 31 December 2000
Preceded by	Andrzej Topiński (Acting)
Succeeded by	Leszek Balcerowicz
Personal details
Born	Hanna Beata Gronkiewicz (1952-11-04) 4 November 1952 (age 72) Warsaw, Poland
Political party	Civic Platform (since 2005)
Other political affiliations	Civic Coalition (since 2018)
Spouse	Andrzej Waltz
Alma mater	University of Warsaw
Awards

Hanna Beata Gronkiewicz-Waltz (born 4 November 1952) is a Polish politician and lawyer. A lawyer is someone who studies and practices law. She is also a professor who teaches about law.

Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz was the mayor of Warsaw, the capital city of Poland, from 2006 to 2018. She was the first and only woman to hold this important job. As of 2024, she is a member of the European Parliament.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz was born in Warsaw, Poland. She studied at the University of Warsaw. She became a professor of economics, which is the study of how money and resources are used.

Between 1992 and 2000, she was in charge of the National Bank of Poland. This is like the main bank for the whole country. After that, she worked as a leader at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development from 2001 to 2004. This bank helps countries in Europe grow their economies.

Becoming Mayor of Warsaw

In 2005, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz was chosen to be a member of the Sejm. The Sejm is like the parliament or main law-making body in Poland. She was part of a political group called Civic Platform.

In 2006, she ran to become the mayor of Warsaw. In the first election, she received many votes. But because no one got more than half the votes, there was a second election. In this second election, she won with more than 53% of the votes. This made her the new mayor of Warsaw.

Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz in 2007.

Soon after becoming mayor, there was a situation about some paperwork. A law said that mayors and their spouses needed to share information about their money. There were different deadlines for the mayor and their spouse. Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz submitted her and her husband's papers on the same day. Some people thought her husband's papers were a little late.

This led to a discussion about whether she could stay as mayor. However, Poland's highest court, the Constitutional Tribunal, decided in March 2007 that the law was confusing. They ruled that public officials should not lose their jobs just because of small delays in paperwork. This decision meant she could continue her work as mayor.

Supporting Equality in Warsaw

As mayor, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz made a different decision than the previous mayor about the Equality Parade. This parade supports the rights of LGBT people. Her predecessor had not allowed these parades.

Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz approved the parade. She said it would not cause any problems. She also pointed to a court ruling that said banning such parades was unfair. This showed her support for equal rights for everyone in the city.

In November 2010, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz ran for mayor again. She won the election in the first round with over 53% of the votes. This meant she did not need a second election and continued to be the mayor of Warsaw. She finished her term as mayor in 2018.

Current Role

Since October 2024, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz has been a member of the European Parliament. This means she helps make laws and decisions for the whole of Europe. She is part of the European People's Party Group. She is also a Fellow of Collegium Invisibile, which is a group of important scholars.

Awards and Recognition

Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz has received several important awards for her work:

• Silver Cross of Merit (1990, Poland)
• Officer of the Legion of Honour (France, 2008)
• Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta (Poland, 2010)
• Order of the Polar Star (Sweden, 2011)
• Order of the Crown (Belgium, 2011)

See also

In Spanish: Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz para niños

• Members of Polish Sejm 2005–2007