- Born:
- July 3, 1940, Śmiłowice, Poland [now Smilovice, Czech Republic] (age 86)
- Title / Office:
- prime minister (1997-2001), Poland
Jerzy Buzek
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Who is Jerzy Buzek?
Jerzy Buzek, born on July 3, 1940, is a Polish engineer, educator, and political leader who was the prime minister of Poland from 1997 to 2001 and the president of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2012.
Buzek acquired a degree in technical sciences from the Silesian University of Technology. Afterward, he taught at the Opole University of Technology, Polonia University, and the Polish Academy of Sciences. In 1980, Buzek joined the Solidarity trade union and became chairman of its first national congress in 1981. After the communist government suppressed the union in December 1981, Buzek continued to be a leader.
In September 1997, Buzek was elected to the Sejm. He then oversaw the formation of a centre-right coalition government. During his term as prime minister, Buzek focused on privatization and administrative reform and began accession talks with the European Union (EU).
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When did Jerzy Buzek serve as the prime minister of Poland?
Jerzy Buzek served as the prime minister of Poland from 1997 to 2001. Buzek, a candidate of the Solidarity Electoral Action (AWS) coalition, was elected to the Sejm in September 1997. Although the AWS won a plurality of seats, their leader declined the prime minister position, leading to Buzek's nomination, which was confirmed by President Aleksander Kwaśniewski in October. During his term, Buzek focused on privatization and administrative reform, including restructuring local government and reforming healthcare, pension, and education systems. In international affairs, he initiated accession talks with the European Union (EU) and secured Poland's admission into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1999.
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What were some important events during Jerzy Buzek's time as prime minister?
Jerzy Buzek, as prime minister of Poland (1997–2001), focused on privatization and administrative reform. In 1999, Poland's local government was restructured, and reforms were introduced in the health care, pension, and education systems. In the international arena, Buzek began accession talks with the European Union (EU) and gained Poland’s admission into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1999. His government continued the economic policies of its predecessors since 1989, focusing on further privatization of industries and services.
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What political party did Jerzy Buzek represent?
Jerzy Buzek represented the Solidarity Electoral Action (Akcja Wyborcza Solidarność; AWS) coalition when he was elected to the Sejm in September 1997. The AWS won a plurality in the election, leading to Buzek's nomination and confirmation as Prime Minister of Poland in October 1997. Later, Buzek represented the conservative European People’s Party when he was elected to the European Parliament in 2004.
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How did Jerzy Buzek's government help Poland join international organizations?
During his time as prime minister of Poland, Jerzy Buzek helped Poland integrate into international organizations. In 1999, he began accession talks with the European Union (EU) and secured Poland's admission into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. His government focused on privatization and administrative reform, restructuring local government and reforming healthcare, pension, and education systems. These reforms, designed to facilitate Poland’s EU accession, sometimes faced popular opposition.
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What did Jerzy Buzek do after his term as prime minister ended?
After stepping down as prime minister of Poland in 2001, Jerzy Buzek continued his political career on the European stage. Representing the conservative European People’s Party, he was elected to the European Parliament in 2004, the same year that Poland joined the EU. In July 2009, he was chosen to preside over the European Parliament, making him the first individual from a former communist bloc country to hold that position. Buzek served as president of the European Parliament until January 2012, after which Martin Schulz of Germany's Social Democratic Party replaced him.
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Jerzy Buzek (born July 3, 1940, Śmiłowice, Poland [now Smilovice, Czech Republic]) is a Polish engineer, educator, and political leader who served as prime minister of Poland (1997–2001) and as president of the European Parliament (2009–12).
Buzek earned a degree in technical sciences from the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice. He later taught there as well as at the Opole University of Technology; he also held positions at Polonia University in Częstochowa and at the Polish Academy of Sciences. Buzek joined the Solidarity trade union in 1980 and served as chairman of its first national congress in 1981. Following the communist government’s suppression of the union in December 1981, Buzek continued to be a leader of the organization after it went underground. After Solidarity reemerged in 1989, first as a legal opposition movement and then as the country’s first postcommunist ruling party, Buzek remained a prominent member of the union.
In September 1997 Buzek, as a candidate of the conservative Solidarity Electoral Action (Akcja Wyborcza Solidarność; AWS) coalition, was elected to the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish legislature. The AWS won a plurality of seats in the election, but the group’s leader, Marian Krzaklewski, declined the post of prime minister. The AWS then turned to Buzek, whose nomination was confirmed by Polish Pres. Aleksander Kwaśniewski in October. Buzek oversaw the formation of a centre-right coalition government with the liberal-democratic Freedom Union (Unia Wolności; UW) party, and his cabinet was sworn in on October 31, 1997. The following month Buzek’s government survived a vote of confidence.
Buzek was largely unknown at the time of his appointment, and some detractors claimed that he would be little more than a puppet of Krzaklewski. Others expressed a lack of confidence in Buzek’s ability to stifle far-right elements of the AWS. Nevertheless, many Poles welcomed the choice of a political outsider who was committed to fostering economic growth. Free-market proponents saw a friend in Buzek, an economic liberal who supported the privatization of state-owned industries, such as coal mining. In addition, Buzek was a practicing Protestant in an overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country, and this was seen as evidence of his comfort with opposing viewpoints. Indeed, he was described as a consensus builder and a mediator.
During his term as prime minister, Buzek focused on privatization as well as on administrative reform. In 1999 Poland’s local government was restructured, and the country’s health care, pension, and education systems were reformed. In the international arena, Buzek began accession talks with the European Union (EU), and in 1999 he gained Poland’s admission into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Buzek stepped down in 2001, after parliamentary elections resulted in a left-wing victory.
Representing the conservative European People’s Party, Buzek was elected to the European Parliament in 2004, the year that Poland joined the EU. In July 2009 the parliament’s members chose him to preside over the body. He was the first European Parliament president to hail from the former communist bloc. He stepped down in January 2012 and was replaced by Martin Schulz of Germany’s Social Democratic Party.