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 political scientist. He has been the Mayor of Warsaw since November 22, 2018.

Before becoming mayor, 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. Later, he was the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2014 to 2015. In 2015, he was elected as a Member of the Polish Parliament.

In 2017, he was chosen as the candidate for Mayor of Warsaw for the Civic Platform and Modern parties. He won the election in October 2018 in the first round. He 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. He reached the second round of the election but lost to the current president, Andrzej Duda. He received 10,018,263 votes, or 48.97% of the vote. In April 2024, he was reelected as Mayor of Warsaw in the first round. He received 444,006 votes, which was 57.41% of the vote.

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

Early Life and Education

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

Trzaskowski attended high school in Warsaw and also studied in Sydney, Australia, and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA. He then studied international relations and English at the University of Warsaw, finishing in 1996. He also studied European studies at the College of Europe in Natolin in 1997. He received a scholarship to Oxford University in 1996. In 2004, he earned his PhD in political science from the University of Warsaw. His studies focused on how the European Union's rules change over time.

From 1995, he worked as an interpreter, translating from one language to another at the same time. He also taught English. In 1998, he started teaching at the National School of Public Administration. His main interests are how European countries work together and global issues.

Political Career

From 2000 to 2001, Rafał Trzaskowski worked for Poland's Office of the European Integration Committee. From 2004 to 2009, he was an advisor for the Civic Platform political party in the European Parliament. In 2009, he was elected as a Member of the European Parliament. During his election campaign, he had support from well-known Polish artists. In the European Parliament, he was part of the European People's Party.

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

In November 2013, Trzaskowski became the Minister of Administration and Digitization. As minister, he created a system to warn citizens about severe weather. He also worked with local governments and helped people after natural disasters, like floods in 2014. He was also in charge of cybersecurity and making sure websites were accessible for people with disabilities. In September 2014, he became Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. In this role, he helped coordinate Poland's relationship with the European Union.

In 2015, he was elected to the Sejm, which is the lower house of the Polish Parliament. In 2016, he became a member of the Civic Platform's National Council. He also became the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the party's "shadow cabinet," which is a group of opposition politicians who would take on government roles if their party won power. In March 2017, he became the vice-chairman of the European People's Party. As a Member of the Sejm, Trzaskowski focused on foreign affairs, European policy, and civil rights. He submitted many questions and proposals in parliament.

In 2017, he received the Legion of Honour award from France. This award recognized his efforts to make Polish-French relations stronger. In February 2020, he was elected as the vice-chairman of the Civic Platform party.

Mayor of Warsaw (2018–present)

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, it was announced that Trzaskowski would run for Mayor of Warsaw. He was supported by the Civic Platform and Modern parties. He won the election in October 2018 in the first round. He defeated his main opponent, Patryk Jaki, from the Law and Justice party.

As mayor, Trzaskowski started a free nursery program for children in Warsaw. He also increased funding for a program that helps families have children. He oversaw the purchase of many new, clean public transport vehicles. During his time in office, six new metro stations were opened, and work began on building a third metro line.

In December 2019, Trzaskowski and the mayors of other major cities in the Visegrád Group signed the Pact of Free Cities. This agreement promotes shared values like freedom, human dignity, democracy, and tolerance. In August 2020, these mayors released a statement supporting protesters in Belarus. They also asked the European Union to take action against those responsible for violence.

In May 2024, he signed a rule that removed religious symbols from Warsaw city hall. This was done to support the idea of keeping government separate from religion.

LGBT Rights

On February 18, 2019, Trzaskowski signed a declaration to fight discrimination against the LGBT community. This declaration aimed to provide guidance in areas like safety, education, and employment. This action was met with criticism from the Law and Justice party.

2020 Presidential Campaign

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

On May 15, 2020, the Civic Platform party chose Rafał Trzaskowski as their candidate for President of Poland. This happened after their previous candidate stepped down. On June 28, 2020, he came in second place in the first round of the election. He won 30.46% of the votes and moved on to the second round on July 12, 2020. In the second round, Trzaskowski received 48.97% of the votes. He lost the election to the current president, Andrzej Duda.

Wspólna Polska Movement

On October 17, 2020, Trzaskowski started a new social and civic movement called "Wspólna Polska" (Common Poland). Part of this movement, called "New Solidarity," was meant to be a trade union for self-employed people and those with temporary contracts. Thousands of people joined within days. However, the movement's website and social media activity stopped in 2021.

2025 Presidential Campaign

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

Political Views

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

Rafał Trzaskowski describes himself as a centrist. He has been seen as both a liberal-conservative and a progressive. He supports European integration, which means countries in Europe working closely together. He also supports Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian War. He believes in protecting the environment and supports free-market liberalism, which means less government control over the economy. He also wants local governments to have a bigger role in Poland's regions.

Trzaskowski supports allowing same-sex civil unions, which give legal recognition to same-sex couples. However, he has stated that he does not support adoption rights for them. As the president of Warsaw, he made the city a member of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. This group works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He later clarified that Warsaw is not bound by all the group's specific policies.

On economic matters, Trzaskowski supports efforts to make it easier for businesses to operate. He also wants to lower healthcare taxes for business owners and reduce healthcare costs. He voted against lowering the retirement age in 2017. However, in 2025, he changed his view, stating he does not support increasing the retirement age. Instead, he would encourage people to work longer through economic incentives.

Other Activities

• European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), Member of the Council
• New Pact for Europe, Member of the Advisory Group

Personal Life

Rafał Trzaskowski identifies as Catholic. He has said he greatly admires Pope John Paul II. He is married to Małgorzata, and they have two children: Aleksandra (born 2004) and Stanisław (born 2009).

Honours and Awards

Foreign Honours

•  France Knight of the Legion of Honour (2017)
•  Ukraine Order of Unity and Will (2023)

Electoral Results

See also

In Spanish: Rafał Trzaskowski para niños