Rafał Trzaskowski facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rafał Trzaskowski
Trzaskowski in 2024
Mayor of Warsaw
Incumbent
Assumed office 22 November 2018
Deputy Mayor	Robert Soszyński Michał Olszewski Renata Kaznowska
Preceded by	Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz
Secretary of State for European Affairs
In office 22 September 2014 – 16 November 2015
Prime Minister	Ewa Kopacz
Minister	Grzegorz Schetyna
Preceded by	Piotr Serafin
Succeeded by	Konrad Szymański
Minister of Administration and Digitization
In office 3 December 2013 – 22 September 2014
Prime Minister	Donald Tusk
Preceded by	Michał Boni
Succeeded by	Andrzej Halicki
Parliamentary offices Member of the Sejm In office 12 November 2015 – 21 November 2018 Constituency Kraków Member of the European Parliament for Poland In office 14 July 2009 – 2 December 2013
Personal details
Born	(1972-01-17) 17 January 1972 (age 53) Warsaw, Poland
Political party	Civic Platform (since 2004)
Other political affiliations	Civic Coalition (since 2018) Yes! For Poland (since 2020)
Spouse	Małgorzata Trzaskowska ​ (m. 2002)​
Children	2
Parent	Andrzej Trzaskowski (father)
Education	College of Europe (MA) University of Warsaw (PhD)
Awards	Legion of Honour
Signature

Rafał Kazimierz Trzaskowski (born 17 January 1972) is a Polish politician and expert in European studies. He has been the Mayor of Warsaw since November 22, 2018.

Before becoming Mayor, he held several important roles in Polish and European politics. He was a Member of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2013. He also served as the Minister of Administration and Digitization from 2013 to 2014, and as Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland from 2014 to 2015. In 2015, he was elected as a Member of the Polish Parliament.

In November 2017, he was chosen as the candidate for Mayor of Warsaw by the Civic Platform and Modern political parties for the 2018 Polish local elections. He won the election in the first round on October 21, 2018, defeating his main opponent, Patryk Jaki of the Law and Justice party. Trzaskowski received 505,187 votes, which was 56.67% of all votes.

In May 2020, Trzaskowski became the Civic Platform's candidate for President of Poland in the 2020 Polish presidential election. He reached the second round of the election but lost to the current president, Andrzej Duda. Trzaskowski received 10,018,263 votes, or 48.97% of the total.

He was reelected Mayor of Warsaw in April 2024, winning in the first round with 444,006 votes (57.41%). His main challengers were Tobiasz Bocheński and Magdalena Biejat.

In November 2024, he was again chosen as the Civic Coalition's candidate for the 2025 Polish presidential election. In May 2025, he came in first in the first round with 31.36% of the votes. He then went on to the second round against Karol Nawrocki, but lost, receiving 49.11% of the vote.

Early Life and Education: Rafał Trzaskowski's Journey

Rafał Kazimierz Trzaskowski was born in Warsaw, Poland, on January 17, 1972. His father, Andrzej Trzaskowski, was a famous Polish jazz musician and composer. His mother was Teresa Arens. His great-grandfather, Bronisław Trzaskowski, was a linguist who helped start some of Poland's first secondary schools for girls. When Rafał was 8 years old, he even appeared on a Polish children's TV show called "Our Backyard."

Rafał Trzaskowski's Schooling and Studies

Trzaskowski attended several schools, including the 11th Mikołaj Rej Liceum in Warsaw, Marcellin College in Sydney, Australia, and Cranbrook Kingswood School in Michigan, USA (from 1990 to 1991).

He then studied international relations and English philology at the University of Warsaw, graduating in 1996. After that, he continued his studies in European studies at the College of Europe in Natolin, graduating in 1997. He also received scholarships to study at Oxford University in 1996 and at the European Union Institute for Security Studies in Paris in 2002. In 2004, he earned his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in political science from the University of Warsaw. His Ph.D. focused on how the European Union's institutions change over time.

From 1995, Trzaskowski worked as a simultaneous interpreter (someone who translates spoken words in real-time) and an English teacher. In 1998, he became a university teacher at the National School of Public Administration, and in 2002, at the Collegium Civitas. He was especially interested in how European countries work together and in international affairs. Since 2002, he also worked as an analyst at the European Centre in Natolin.

Political Career: Rafał Trzaskowski's Public Service

Rafał Trzaskowski began his political career working for Jacek Saryusz-Wolski at Poland's Office of the European Integration Committee between 2000 and 2001. From 2004 to 2009, he advised the Civic Platform political party at the European Parliament.

Serving as a Member of the European Parliament

In 2009, Trzaskowski was elected as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), representing the Civic Platform party, after receiving 25,178 votes. During his election campaign, he was supported by famous Polish personalities and artists. While in the European Parliament, he was part of the European People's Party. In 2010, he led the election campaign for Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, who was running for Mayor of Warsaw in the 2010 Polish local elections.

Trzaskowski with Donald Tusk and Grzegorz Schetyna in Brussels, June 2017

Ministerial Roles in Polish Government

On November 27, 2013, President Bronisław Komorowski swore in Trzaskowski as the Minister of Administration and Digitization. During his time as minister, Trzaskowski created a system to warn citizens about severe weather. He was also in charge of working with local governments, helping victims of natural disasters (like the 2014 Southeast Europe floods), and ensuring cybersecurity and online accessibility for people with disabilities. On September 24, 2014, he became Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, where he helped coordinate Poland's relationship with the European Union across different government ministries.

Member of the Polish Parliament

In 2015, Trzaskowski ran in the 2015 Polish parliamentary elections and won a seat in the Sejm (the lower house of the Polish Parliament) with 47,080 votes. In 2016, he became a member of the Civic Platform party's National Council. That same year, he took on the role of Minister of Foreign Affairs in the "shadow cabinet" formed by the Civic Platform. On March 29, 2017, he became the vice-chairman of the European People's Party. As a Member of the Sejm, Trzaskowski worked on committees related to the European Union, foreign affairs, and modern technologies. He focused on issues like foreign policy, defense, health, and protecting civil rights. He submitted many questions and proposals during his time in Parliament.

In 2017, he was awarded the Legion of Honour by France for his efforts in strengthening the relationship between Poland and France. In February 2020, he was also elected as the Civic Platform's vice-chairman.

Mayor of Warsaw: Leading the Capital City

Rafał Trzaskowski at the European People's Party Congress in Malta, 2017

President Joe Biden during conversation with Trzaskowski and former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

In November 2017, Rafał Trzaskowski was announced as the joint candidate for Mayor of Warsaw from the Civic Platform and Modern political parties for the 2018 Polish local elections. He won the election on October 21, 2018, in the first round, becoming Mayor of Warsaw after defeating Patryk Jaki. He received 505,187 votes, which was 56.67% of the total.

During his time as Mayor, Trzaskowski introduced several new programs, including a free nursery program for children in Warsaw and increased funding for the Warsaw in vitro program. He also oversaw record purchases of environmentally friendly public transport vehicles. In the first few years of his term, six new stations for the second metro line were opened, and work began on building the third metro line.

In December 2019, Trzaskowski, along with the mayors of other Visegrád Group capital cities, signed the Pact of Free Cities. This agreement aims to promote shared values like freedom, human dignity, democracy, equality, and social justice. In August 2020, these mayors released a joint statement supporting the protesters in Belarus and condemning the violence used by the authorities there. They also asked the European Union to review its policy towards Belarus.

In November 2023, Trzaskowski banned a pro-Palestinian protest in Warsaw, citing concerns about safety. In May 2024, he signed a law that prevents religious symbols from being displayed in Warsaw city hall, supporting the idea of a secular (non-religious) public space.

2020 Presidential Campaign: A National Bid

Trzaskowski speaking at a rally in Katowice during the 2020 presidential election.

On May 15, 2020, Rafał Trzaskowski was chosen by the Civic Platform party to be their candidate for President of Poland in the 2020 Polish presidential election. This happened after the previous candidate, Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, stepped down. In the first round of the election on June 28, 2020, he came in second place with 30.46% of the votes, which allowed him to advance to the second round on July 12, 2020. In the second round, Trzaskowski received 48.97% of the votes, but he lost the election to the current president, Andrzej Duda, who won with 51.03% of the votes.

2025 Presidential Campaign: Another Attempt

On November 22, 2024, the Civic Platform party again chose Rafał Trzaskowski as their candidate for President of Poland in the 2025 Polish presidential election. He won the party's primary election against foreign minister Radosław Sikorski with 75% of the vote. In the first round of the election on May 18, 2025, he finished first with 31.1% of the vote. He then faced Karol Nawrocki, the Law and Justice party candidate, in a runoff election on June 1, 2025. Trzaskowski lost this runoff, with Nawrocki winning 50.89% of the vote.

Political Views: What Rafał Trzaskowski Believes In

Trzaskowski, Donald Tusk and Michał Kołodziejczak at anti-government protests in Warsaw, 1 October 2023

Rafał Trzaskowski describes himself as a centrist, meaning his political views are generally in the middle, not extreme left or right. He supports several key ideas:

• European integration: He believes in closer cooperation and unity among European countries.
• Environmental protection: He is in favor of efforts to restore and protect the environment.
• Cultural liberalism: He holds moderately liberal views on social and cultural issues.
• Local government: He believes that local governments in Polish regions should have a greater role and more power.

Personal Life: Rafał Trzaskowski's Family

Rafał Trzaskowski is Catholic and has expressed great admiration for the late Pope John Paul II. He is married to Małgorzata, who studied at the Kraków University of Economics. They have two children: a daughter named Aleksandra (born in 2004) and a son named Stanisław (born in 2009).

Honours and Awards: Recognitions for Service

Rafał Trzaskowski has received several honors for his work:

•  France Knight of the Legion of Honour (2017) – This is a very high award from France.
•  Ukraine Order of Unity and Will (2023) – An award from Ukraine.

See also

In Spanish: Karol_Nawrocki para niños