Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council: biography, family, career

Donald Tusk, born 22 April 1957 in gdańsk, is a Polish politician, who is the chair of President of the European Council, since 30 Aug 2014. Before assuming this post, he from 2003 to 2014 he was Chairman of the liberal conservative party Civic platform (Pol. Platforma Obywatelska, abbreviated as PO), and from 2007 to 2014, the Prime Minister of Poland.

Family

Ancestors of Donald Tusk, both the paternal and maternal nationality are kashubians. This small people living in Northern Poland at the Baltic sea, including near the city of Gdansk. They had survived the Second world war, during which they were sent to do forced labor and was imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camps Stutthof and Neuengamme. 2 August 1944 józef Tusk, the grandfather of Donald Tusk, he was drafted into the Wehrmacht, as they had German citizenship, which was automatically granted to the inhabitants of Danzig after the Nazi occupation. Perhaps he deserted, because three months later, on 24 November 1944, appeared in the ranks of the Polish corps, who fought against the Nazis on the Western front.

In 2005, during the presidential election in Poland, political opponents of the party "law and justice" tried to use against Tusk short stay by his grandfather in the German army, and in connection with this fact, accused him of lack of patriotism.

Donald is married and together with his wife Malgorzata and has a son and a daughter. Michael Tusk, the son of Donald Tusk, among other things, worked as a journalist in the daily newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, and in 2012 was involved in one economic venture. His daughter Katarzyna sometimes appears on television. She participated in Polish version of "dancing with the stars" and also writes articles for one of the fashion Internet sites. Currently, Tusk lives in the Spa town of Sopot, near Gdansk.

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He is fluent in German and English.

Anti-Communist activity

Father of Donald Tusk was a carpenter and died in 1972. Acceleration working demonstration in 1970 was a key moment in shaping the political views of the Tusk. He began to actively participate in opposition activities against the Communist regime of Poland. As a student of historical faculty of the University of Gdansk in the late 1970-ies he became one of the founders of the local student Committee of Solidarity. Its creation was a response to the murder of a member of the working human rights organization responsible for the opposition which considered the Polish state security service. In addition, Tusk was involved in the opposition of Free trade unions of the Coastal region. In 1980 he also became one of the founders of the Independent students ' Union. In 1980 Donald Tusk has finished his training, defending a thesis, the theme of which was myths and legends relating to the person of Jozef Pilsudski.

Early career

Donald Tusk, the biography which did not have a particularly poignant moments, a few months after the August strikes of 1980 began working as a journalist in the weekly Samorządność ("self-organization") and was elected Chairman of the working Committee of the cell of "Solidarity" in his publishing house. After the introduction in 1981 of the martial law, he was dismissed from this publisher and got a ban on professional activities because of their opposition views. From 1984 to 1989, the future head of the European Council was an ordinary worker in the Gdansk opposition created by the co-op "of Svetlik" (Świetlik), where under the leadership of Maciej Elaginskogo were doing dangerous work at height.

Party Affairs

After the fall of communism, Donald Tusk, Jan Krzysztof Bielecki and Janusz Lewandowski in 1989 became the founder of the party "liberal-democratic Congress." In 1991, the Tusk was elected Chairman of the party and first entered the Sejm, the Polish Parliament. In 1992, his party supported a vote of no confidence against the then Prime Minister Jan Olszewski, and then a minority government, with the successor Olszewski Hanna Suchocka. In 1993, the Parliament was dissolved ahead of schedule, and at the ensuing election "the liberal-democratic Congress" could not overcome the five percent barrier. After losing the vote was taken the decision to merge with a similar political program of the party "Democratic Union", which was led by former Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki. Formed as a result of a political Alliance called "freedom Union". After losing in 2000 the struggle for the chairmanship of the party Bronislaw Geremek, Tusk left the "Union of liberty" and in the beginning of 2001, together with Andrzej Olechowski and Maciej Plazynski, founded a new political Association known as the party "Civic platform".

Tusk in 1997, gained more than 230 000 votes in the elections to the Polish Senate from Gdansk. As a member of the Seimas, he from 2001 to 2005 was Vice-President, and before that (from 1997 to 2001) Vice - Chairman. From 2003 to 2006 Tusk represented the "Civic platform" in Parliament asthe head of the faction. In addition, from 2003 to 2014 he was also Chairman of the party.

Presidential election 2005

In the presidential elections of 9 October 2005 in the first round of voting Tusk received 36.3% of votes. It was the best result among the candidates, however, needed to win 50% gain. October 23, 2005 in the second round of elections, Donald Tusk fought against the mayor of Warsaw Lech kaczyński, who had previously received 33.1 per cent. Kaczynski won with a ratio of 53.5% against 46.5 per.

Parliamentary elections 2007

After the collapse of the former government coalition under the leadership of the party "law and justice" there is a need for early parliamentary elections held on 21 October 2007. In the end, the party "Civic platform" won 41,51 % of the votes, while the "law and justice", headed by the Prime Minister and the President's brother Jaroslaw Kaczynski, managed to get only 32 %. Civic platform in the Sejm has teamed up with a moderately conservative "Polish people's party" primarily representing the interests of farmers. Formed Alliance won a parliamentary majority — 240 out of 460 deputies. The parties have agreed to form a coalition immediately after the election victory.

Since November 16, 2007, Tusk led the Polish government, during his tenure as Prime Minister. In his first speech as head of government, November 23, 2007, he stated the need for speedy ratification of the Lisbon Treaty and the introduction in Poland of the single European currency. In addition, he advocated the improvement of relations with Germany, which under his predecessor Kaczynski was pretty tense. Tusk called for the revival of the Weimar triangle — a close relationship between Warsaw, Paris and Berlin. During the election campaign before the parliamentary elections, Tusk made a bid for international cooperation.

After the parliamentary election, 2011

On 9 October 2011 elections to the Seimas, the party Civic platform received 39.2% of the votes. Thanks to Civic platform members of Parliament was presented to the 206 deputies and was the strongest faction. Together with "Polish people's party" and the traditionally Pro-government representation of the German minority obtained one seat, it turns out 235 deputies out of 460. For the first time since the formation of the so-called Third Polish Republic, the government has the support in Parliament.

9 Sep 2014 in the Council of Europe has changed: gone is his head Herman van Rompuy and his place was appointed Donald Tusk. President of the European Council has taken up his new position from 1 December 2014. After that Tusk was the acting Prime Minister until 22 September 2014 until in his place was chosen ewa kopacz, a former speaker of the Polish Parliament.

Donald Tusk about Russia

Russia in General as it is now accepted in the European Union. He is a supporter of sanctions against Russia, though considers them ineffective. He advocated the creation of a European energy Union to counter Russia's monopoly in this area, but this initiative has not yet been approved. Like many of the European politicians, Tusk said that Russian troops involved in the fighting on the territory of Donbass, and called for determined, but a reasonable reaction.

Wiretapping Scandal

After sensational revelations obtained through illegal wiretapping conversations of various members of the Cabinet of Ministers, the President of Poland Bronislaw Komorowski called on the government to resign. Tusk agreed to hold early elections, though at first he rejected opposition demands to resign. 25 Jun 2014 he put to the vote in Parliament the question of confidence in the government. The result 237 of 440 deputies voted for the government, 203 against.