Mateusz Morawiecki facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mateusz Morawiecki
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Official portrait, 2019
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| President of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party | |
| Assumed office 14 January 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Giorgia Meloni |
| Prime Minister of Poland | |
| In office 11 December 2017 – 13 December 2023 |
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| President | Andrzej Duda |
| Deputy |
See list
Piotr Gliński (2017–2023)
Jarosław Gowin (2017–2020, 2020–2021) Beata Szydło (2017–2019) Jacek Sasin (2019–2023) Jadwiga Emilewicz (2020) Jarosław Kaczyński (2020–2022, 2023) Henryk Kowalczyk (2021–2023) Mariusz Błaszczak (2022–2023) |
| Preceded by | Beata Szydło |
| Succeeded by | Donald Tusk |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Poland | |
| In office 16 November 2015 – 11 December 2017 Serving with Piotr Gliński, Jarosław Gowin
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| Prime Minister | Beata Szydło |
| Preceded by | Janusz Piechociński |
| Succeeded by | Beata Szydło |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 28 September 2016 – 9 January 2018 |
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| Prime Minister | Beata Szydło Himself |
| Preceded by | Paweł Szałamacha |
| Succeeded by | Teresa Czerwińska |
| Minister of Development | |
| In office 16 November 2015 – 9 January 2018 |
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| Prime Minister | Beata Szydło Himself |
| Preceded by | Maria Wasiak |
| Succeeded by | Jerzy Kwieciński |
| Minister of Sport and Tourism | |
| In office 15 November 2019 – 5 December 2019 |
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| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | Witold Bańka |
| Succeeded by | Danuta Dmowska |
| Member of the Sejm | |
| Assumed office 9 August 2019 |
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| Constituency | no. 31 |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mateusz Jakub Morawiecki
20 June 1968 Wrocław, Poland |
| Political party | Law and Justice (since 2016) |
| Other political affiliations |
Independent (before 2016) |
| Spouse | Iwona Morawiecka |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent | Kornel Morawiecki (father) |
| Education | University of Wrocław (BA) Wrocław University of Science and Technology Wrocław University of Economics (MBA) University of Hamburg University of Basel (MAS) |
| Occupation | Economist, historian, magazine editor, politician |
| Signature |  |
Mateusz Jakub Morawiecki (born 20 June 1968) is a Polish economist, historian, and politician. He served as the prime minister of Poland from 2017 to 2023. He is a member of the Law and Justice (PiS) party.
Before becoming prime minister, he held several important roles in the Polish government. From 2015 to 2017, he was the Deputy Prime Minister. He also served as the Minister of Development from 2015 to 2018 and the Minister of Finance from 2016 to 2018. Before his political career, Morawiecki worked in business for many years.
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Early Life and Education
Mateusz Morawiecki was born on June 20, 1968, in Wrocław, Silesia, Poland. His father, Kornel Morawiecki, was a physicist and a leader of the Fighting Solidarity movement, which opposed the communist government in Poland.
From a young age, Mateusz was involved in anti-communist activities. As a teenager, he helped his father copy and distribute secret political writings. He also put up posters calling for strikes. When martial law was declared in 1981, he helped print and share underground magazines from the Solidarity movement. Because his father was a well-known activist, Mateusz was sometimes stopped and questioned by the police.
In the 1980s, he edited an illegal political newspaper called Lower Silesia Bulletin. He also took part in student protests at the University of Wrocław in the late 1980s.
Morawiecki studied at several universities. He earned degrees in history from the University of Wrocław (1992) and business administration from the Wrocław University of Economics (1995). He also studied at the University of Hamburg and the University of Basel, focusing on European law and economic integration.
Business Career
In 1991, Mateusz Morawiecki started working at Cogito Company. He also helped create two publishing companies. In the same year, he co-founded a magazine called Dwa Dni (Two Days) and later became its editor.
He gained experience in banking by completing an internship at Deutsche Bundesbank in Germany in 1995. He also did research on banking and economics at the University of Frankfurt from 1996 to 1997.
From 1998 to 2001, he was part of the boards that supervised several companies. From 1998 to 2002, he was a member of the Lower Silesian Regional Assembly, a local government body.
From 1996 to 2004, Morawiecki taught at the Wrocław University of Economics. He also taught at the Wrocław University of Technology from 1996 to 1998.
In November 1998, Morawiecki began working for Bank Zachodni WBK, which is part of the Santander Group. He started as a deputy chairman of the supervisory board. In 2001, he became a managing director. From 2007 to 2015, Morawiecki was the chairman of Bank Zachodni WBK.
Political Career
Deputy Prime Minister (2015–2017)
On November 16, 2015, President Andrzej Duda appointed Mateusz Morawiecki to two important roles. He became both the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Development. These appointments were part of the new government led by Prime Minister Beata Szydło. This happened after the Law and Justice party won the parliamentary elections in 2015.
In March 2016, Mateusz Morawiecki officially joined the Law and Justice party.
Finance Minister (2016–2017)
On September 28, 2016, Morawiecki received another key position: Minister of Finance. This made him one of the most powerful members of the government. In this role, he was in charge of the country's budget, government money, European Union funds, and overall economic plans.
As Finance Minister, Morawiecki introduced a plan called the "Plan for Responsible Development," also known as the "Morawiecki Plan." This plan aimed to help Poland's economy grow and bring in more money for government programs, like the "Family 500+" child benefits. In March 2017, he attended a meeting of G20 finance ministers, becoming the first Polish representative at this important global summit.
Prime Minister (2017–2023)
First Term (2017–2019)
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In December 2017, the leader of the Law and Justice party, Jarosław Kaczyński, decided that Beata Szydło should no longer be prime minister. Morawiecki was then chosen to take her place. He was sworn in as prime minister of Poland on December 11, and Szydło became his deputy. In his first big speech to the Sejm (the Polish parliament), he promised to continue the government's current direction.
In January 2018, after a public incident involving racism in Warsaw, Morawiecki stated that "There is no place in Poland for racism." He added that attacks based on skin color are wrong and that Poland would work to be safe for everyone.
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At a security conference in February 2018, Morawiecki made a comment about people from different groups being involved in crimes during World War II. This caused some disagreement, especially with Israeli politicians. The issue was later resolved when Poland and Israel released a joint statement. They agreed to support research into the Jewish Holocaust and to condemn the phrase "Polish concentration camps."
Like other leaders of the Visegrád Group (a group of Central European countries), Morawiecki did not agree with the European Union's idea of making countries accept a certain number of migrants. He said that such proposals would affect Poland's independence.
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In July 2018, Morawiecki said he would work to uncover the "whole truth" about the World War II-era massacres in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia. These events involved the killing of many Polish civilians in what is now Western Ukraine between 1942 and 1945.
Regarding Brexit (the UK leaving the EU), Morawiecki said in January 2019 that more Polish people were returning to Poland from the UK. He hoped this trend would continue to help Poland's economy.
In January 2019, Morawiecki stated that Hitler's Germany was responsible for the evil caused during World War II. He believes that Germany should pay World War II reparations to Poland for the destruction and loss of life during the war. In August 2019, he said that Poland had not received enough compensation and that six million Poles died during the war.
Second Term (2019–2023)
On October 13, 2019, Morawiecki led the PiS party to win the parliamentary election again. The party received its highest number of votes ever in a parliamentary election, getting 43.6% of the national vote. This allowed them to keep their majority in the government.
In September 2020, a court in Warsaw ruled that Morawiecki's decision to hold elections only by postal vote in May 2020 was a "gross violation of the law." The court said the decision was made without proper legal reasons.
In October 2021, Morawiecki accused the European Union of using strong pressure on Poland over certain issues. However, he said that Poland was not planning to leave the EU. He became the vice-president of the Law and Justice party in July 2021.
In December 2021, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Warsaw to talk with Morawiecki. They discussed Poland's disagreement with the EU over the rule of law. They also talked about EU climate policies and the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. From February to April 2022, Morawiecki also served as the Minister of Finance.
In February 2023, as the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine continued, Morawiecki met with Hungarian President Katalin Novák. He stated that countries must be ready for years of defense against the Russian threat.
In March 2023, Morawiecki visited Saudi Arabia and met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He also expressed concern about a "dangerous" alliance between China and Russia. He linked the situation in Ukraine to the situation in Taiwan, saying that supporting Ukraine helps Taiwan remain independent.
In April 2023, Morawiecki mentioned that Poland's relationship with Hungary had changed a lot. This was due to Hungary's stance on Ukraine and Russia. He also said that Poland would not open its borders to all agricultural products from Ukraine. He explained that this was to protect Polish farmers.
Third Term (2023)
In October 2023, Mateusz Morawiecki was re-elected as a member of the Sejm. On November 6, President Andrzej Duda announced that Morawiecki would be chosen as prime minister. On November 27, he was confirmed as prime minister with a new group of ministers. However, his party did not have enough support in the Sejm to keep the majority. On December 11, his government lost a vote in the parliament. This ended his time as prime minister. Former prime minister Donald Tusk was then chosen to take his place.
Personal Life
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Mateusz Morawiecki is married to Iwona Morawiecka. They have four children: two daughters named Olga and Magdalena, and two sons named Jeremiasz and Ignacy.
Other Posts
- Member of the Board of Governors, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
- Member of the Board of Governors, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Honours
Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2015)
Cross of Freedom and Solidarity (2013)
Honorary Badge "For Merits to Banking of the Republic of Poland" (2011)
Silver Cross of the Fighting Solidarity (2021)
Grand Cross of the Order for Merits to Lithuania (2019)
Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 2nd class (2022)
In 2008, Morawiecki became the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Ireland in Poland. He received the Cross of Freedom and Solidarity in 2013. In 2015, he was given the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. In 2019, he was named Man of the Year at the annual Krynica Economic Forum. He has also received other awards from economic groups, universities, and cultural organizations.
Images for kids
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Mateusz Morawiecki's signature
See also
In Spanish: Mateusz Morawiecki para niños
