Jerzy Buzek

His Excellency Jerzy Buzek MEP
Buzek in 2010
President of the European Parliament
In office 14 July 2009 – 17 January 2012
Deputy	See list Giovanni Pittella Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou Stavros Lambrinidis Miguel Angel Martínez Martínez Alejo Vidal-Quadras Dagmar Roth-Behrendt Libor Rouček Isabelle Durant Roberta Angelilli Diana Wallis Pál Schmitt Edward McMillan-Scott Rainer Wieland Silvana Koch-Mehrin
Preceded by	Hans-Gert Pöttering
Succeeded by	Martin Schulz
Prime Minister of Poland
In office 31 October 1997 – 19 October 2001
President	Aleksander Kwaśniewski
Deputy	See list Longin Komołowski Leszek Balcerowicz Janusz Tomaszewski Janusz Steinhoff
Preceded by	Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz
Succeeded by	Leszek Miller
Parliamentary offices Member of the European Parliament forPoland Incumbent Assumed office 20 July 2004 Member of theSejm forWarsaw I In office 21 October 1997 – 18 October 2001
Personal details
Born	Jerzy Karol Buzek (1940-07-03)3 July 1940 Smilowitz,Nazi Germany(nowCzech Republic)
Political party	Civic Platform
Other political affiliations	European People's Party
Spouse	Ludgarda Buzek
Children	Agata
Education	Silesian University of Technology
Awards
Signature

Jerzy Karol Buzek([ˈjɛʐɨ ˈbuzɛk];born 3 July 1940) is aPolishpoliticianand formerMember of the European ParliamentfromPoland.He has served asPrime Minister of Polandfrom 1997 to 2001, since being elected to theEuropean Parliamentin 2004, he served asPresident of the European Parliamentbetween 2009 and 2012.He is married to Ludgarda Buzekand is the father of Polish actressAgata Buzek.

Early years

Jerzy Karol Buzek was born to aLutheranfamily on 3 July 1940 inSmilovice,Czechoslovakia(at the time part ofNazi Germanyand calledSmilowitz). He was born into the prominent Buzek family, which participated in Polish politics in theSecond Polish Republicduring theinterbellum.The family was part of thePolish communityin theTrans-Olzaregion.Buzek's father was an engineer. After theSecond World War,his family moved toChorzów.He is aLutheran.

Professional career

In 1963 Jerzy Buzek graduated from the Mechanics-and-Energy Division of theSilesian University of Technology,specialising inchemical engineering.He became a scientist in the Chemical Engineering Institute of thePolish Academy of Sciences.Since 1997 he has been a professor of technical science. He is also an honorary doctor of the universities inSeoulandDortmundamong others.

From 1997 to 2001, Buzek was a coalitionPrime Minister of Poland.

In 1998 he became the first laureate of the Grzegorz Palka Awardand was nominatedEuropean of the Yearby the European Union Business Chambers Forum.

In 1998 he was named 'Person of the Year' by the influential Polish political weeklyWprost.He won the award for the second time in 2009. On receiving the award again, as President of the European Parliament, he stressed that he was the first winner to be honoured for his work beyond the borders of Poland.

He was the first Prime Minister of the 3rd Republic of Poland to serve a full term.Jerzy Buzek was the first Lutheran Prime Minister in the history of Poland.

After losing the parliamentary elections in 2001, he stepped back from political life and focused more on his scientific work, becoming the prorector ofAkademia PolonijnainCzęstochowaand professor in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of theOpole University of TechnologyinOpole.

His return to political life in 2004 saw him gain the largest popular vote in Poland as the member forKatowiceto theEuropean Parliamentstanding for theCivic Platform.

WhilstPresident of the European Parliament,on 30 March 2011, he was awarded an honorary fellowship of theInstitution of Chemical Engineersat a meeting of theEuropean Federation of Chemical Engineering(EFCE) inBrussels,Belgium.

Political career

In the 1980s, Buzek was an activist of theanti-communistmovements, including the legal (1980–1981 and since 1989) and underground (1981–1989)Solidarity trade unionand political movement incommunist Poland.He was an active organiser of the trade union's regional and national underground authorities. He was also the chairman of the four national general meetings (1st, 4th, 5th, and 6th) when the Solidarity movement was allowed to participate in the political process again.

Jerzy Buzek was a member of theSolidarity Electoral Action(AWS) and co-author of the AWS's economic program. After the1997 electionshe was elected to theSejm,the lower house of the Polish Parliament, and was soon appointedPrime Minister of Poland.In 1999 he became the chairman of theAWS Social Movement(Ruch Społeczny AWS) and in 2001 he became the Chairman of the Solidarity Electoral Action coalition.

Jerzy Buzek's government

Between the years 1997–2001 he was the Prime Minister of Poland, first of the right-centrist AWS–Freedom Unioncoalition government until 2001, and then of the rightist AWS minority government. His cabinet's major achievements were four significant political and economic reforms: a new local government and administration division of Poland, reform of the pension system, reform of the educational system, and reform of the medical care system.AWS was defeated in the2001 Polish parliamentary election.Buzek resigned as the chairman of AWS Social Movement and was replaced byMieczysław Janowski.

Polish Member of the European Parliament

On 13 June 2004, in theEuropean Parliament election, 2004,Jerzy Buzek was elected aMember of the European Parliament(MEP) from theSilesian Voivodeship,basing his candidacy only on the popularity of his name and on direct contact with the voters. He received a record number of votes, 173,389 (22.14% of the total votes in the region). His current party affiliation is with theCivic Platform,which is a member of theEuropean People's Party.

In the 2004–2009 European Parliament, he was a member of theCommittee on Industry, Research and Energy,an alternate member of theCommittee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety,a member of the Delegation to the EU–UkraineParliamentary Cooperation Committee, and an alternate delegate for the delegation for relations with the countries of Central America. He served as rapporteur on the EU's 7th Framework Programme for Research and Development, a multibillion-euro spending program for the years 2007–2013.

On 7 June 2009, in theEuropean Parliament election, 2009,Buzek was re-elected as a Member of theEuropean Parliamentfrom theSilesian Voivodeshipconstituency. Just as in the previous election, Buzek received a record number of votes in Poland: 393,117 (over 42% of the total votes in the district). On 12 September 2018, he voted in favor of approving the controversialDirective on Copyright in the Digital Single Market.

In the 2014–2019 European Parliament he was the Chair of theCommittee on Industry, Research and Energy,responsible for industrial policy, EU research and innovation policy, space policy, energy policy and the application of new technologies. In the 2014–2019 European Parliament he remained a regular member of the Committee.

President of the European Parliament

Jerzy Buzek withViktor Orbán,at anEPPsummit in September 2010

On 14 July 2009, Buzek was electedPresident of the European Parliamentwith 555 votes of the 644 votes cast, the largest majority ever,becoming the first person from the formerEastern Blocand the first former Prime Minister sincePierre Pflimlinto gain that position.He succeeded the GermanChristian DemocratMEP,Hans-Gert Pöttering.He pledged to make human rights and the promotion of the Eastern partnership two of his priorities during his term of office, which would last two and a half years, due to a political deal, Social Democrat MEPMartin Schulzwho take over after that.

In his inaugural address in Strasbourg, Buzek stated that among the greatest challenges faced by the European parliament were the economic crisis, European solidarity, human rights, and reform within the Parliament itself.Buzek also stated he would be committed to reform of the European economy, tackling rising unemployment, energy security, and climate change, strengthening European solidarity and integration and promoting equal opportunities for women. However, Buzek noted that theLisbon Treatywould be a prerequisite to any change "(so that the Union can be) well-organised and effective".

On 8 December 2009 Buzek was awarded by the Ministerpräsident ofNorth Rhine-Westphalia,Dr.Jürgen Rüttgers,the annual "Staatspreis award". The prize was awarded in honor of his lifetime achievements and highlighted the European Parliament as a "motor of integration." Affirming his commitment to the Eastern Partnership and "those who do not have the possibility to participate in our European integration project", Buzek announced that the prize money would be donated to theEuropean Humanities University(EHU), A Belarusian university in exile in Vilnius.

TheLisbon Treaty,which came into force on 1 December 2009 shortly after Buzek assumed office, brought a conclusion to nearly a decade of internal discussions and greatly boosted the democratic powers of the European Parliament. From very early on Buzek has been a vocal supporter of the treaty as part of a wider push for greater political integration in Europe.The rise in legislative powers under the treaty in fact represents almost a doubling in power.Since its introduction Parliament has equal rights with theCouncil of Ministersover 40 new fields within the "co-decision" procedure, such as agriculture, energy security, immigration, justice and home affairs, health and structural funds.

In late 2011 Buzek's presidency also endorsed the 'Sixpack' legislation on economic governance to tackle the growing Eurozone crisis. This was a follow-up on the earlierStability and Growth Pactand theEuro Plus Pactintended as a means of optimising macroeconomic surveillance in Europe and avoiding crises in the eurozone in the future.Welcoming the parliament's adoption of the legislation on 28 October 2011, Buzek stated: "The adoption of the six-pack by the whole European Parliament is good news for the European Union. We have a new economic rule-book. We have developed a powerful and resistant armour against any future crises. With the adoption of the six-pack, the EU significantly strengthens its budget discipline and moves towards true economic governance. We can not turn the clock back, but the package will ensure that Member States budgets will be credible."

One of Buzek's major challenges as EP president was dealing with the allegations of corruption, illegal lobbying and mismanagement of public funds of which several members of the European Parliament have been accused in the wake of a cash-for-amendments scandal. On 7 July 2011, theConference of Presidentsapproved the first-ever code of conduct for MEPs and it was officially endorsed by the parliament on 1 December 2011.The code sets out rules and principles that MEPs should follow in their dealings with outside parties in order to avoid conflicts of interest. "Increased powers of the European Parliament must be accompanied by an increased transparency and accountability on behalf of its members" Buzek has said of the code.According to the code, MEPs have to provide clear declarations of their paid activities outside parliament, as well as the salary they receive. They also have to declare all other activities which might constitute a conflict of interest. The code contains an explicit ban on MEPs receiving payments or other rewards in exchange for influencing parliamentary decisions. It also sets out clear rules on the acceptance of gifts and on the issue of former MEPs working aslobbyists.

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  Jerzy Buzek with President of the European CommissionJosé Manuel Barrosoand Polish PresidentBronisław Komorowski
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  Jerzy Buzek andJose Manuel Barrosoduring anEPPSummit in 2009
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  European Big Three; Jerzy Buzek,Herman Van Rompuy,José Manuel Barroso
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  Jerzy Buzek with Russian PresidentDmitry Medvedev
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  Jerzy Buzek withPresident of GeorgiaMikheil Saakashvili
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  Jerzy Buzek withNicos Anastasiades
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  Jerzy Buzek with Polish journalistPaweł Rogaliński
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  Jerzy Buzek withJyrki Katainen
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  Jerzy Buzek withMariano Rajoy
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  Jerzy Buzek withPrime Minister of the NetherlandsMark Rutte

Career timeline

Education

• From 1997 to 2001: Professor of technical sciences, actively engaged in public work, Prime Minister of Poland;
• Honorary doctorates of the Universities of Dortmund, Seoul, Süleyman Demirel University (Isparta);
• University lecturer of long standing at Opole, Gliwice and Częstochowa, researcher at the Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences inGliwice;
• 1972: Research stay, on aBritish Councilscholarship, at the University of Cambridge.

Career

• 1992–1997: Representative of Poland at the International Energy Agency – Programme of Greenhouse Gas Effect;
• 1996: Organiser and chairman of an international network of 19 institutions working on energy and environmental protection;
• Author of some 200 research papers, over a dozen rationalisations and three patents in the fields of environmental protection, power and process engineering;
• 1981: Member of the independent, self-governing trade union 'NSZZ Solidarność', Chairman of the I National Congress of Delegates of 'Solidarność';
• 1981: Active in the Solidarność underground structure;
• 1997: Elected as a Member of the Polish Parliament;
• As Prime Minister, in 1999, took Poland intoNATOand prepared the country for integration into the European Union (including decentralisation of the State – consolidation of the role of local self-government);
• In 1998, began accession negotiations;
• 1999: Represented the Social Movement ofSolidarity Electoral Action(Akcja Wyborcza Solidarność) in the PPE–DE;
• 1999: Established the annual Pro Publico Bono prize for the best national civic initiatives;
• Set up the Family Foundation together with his wife (1998), having gained greater understanding of the meaning of help for the needy after their experiences with the battle for the life of their own child.
• 2012: Member of the International Honorary Councilof the European Academy of Diplomacy.

Personal life

He is a supporter ofRuch Chorzów.

Honours and awards

• Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of Isabella the Catholic(Kingdom of Spain, 11 May 2001).
• In 2010, he received Collier award of the Fondation du Mérite européen fromJacques Santeron the occasion of 40th anniversary of the Fondation for his role as President of theEuropean Parliament
• European Union:In 2020, he received the Outstanding Achievement Award at The Parliament Magazine's MEP Awards.

External links

• Personal profile of Jerzy Buzekin theEuropean Parliament's database of members
• Jerzy BuzekonFacebook
• Jerzy BuzekonX