Anna Fotyga
Encyclopedia
Anna Elżbieta Fotyga AUD née Kawecka (born 12 January 1957 in Lębork
) is a Polish
economist, politician, former Member of the European Parliament
and former Minister of Foreign Affairs
of Poland
, in the successive cabinets of Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz
and Jarosław Kaczyński. She is Poland's first female to serve in the role
Fotyga is a graduate of the University of Gdańsk and the Danish School of Public Administration. She also served postgraduate internships at the Department of Labor of the United States, Cornell University in New York and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
In 1981, and again after 1989, she acted as Head of the Foreign Office of the Solidarity headquarters in Gdańsk
, and was a close associate of Lech Kaczyński
. In 2000, Fotyga served as a foreign affairs adviser under then Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek
. Subsequently, she was Deputy Chair of the Supervisory Board of Social Security Administration (Zakład Ubezpieczen Spolecznych, ZUS) with special expertise in International Labour Organization
(Międzynarodowa Organizacja Pracy) and the World Bank
. From 2002 to 2004, she was Deputy Mayor of Gdańsk
.
Fotyga garnered 25,994 votes (second highest in the region) in the 2004 European parliamentary elections as a candidate of Prawo i Sprawiedliwość in the Pomeranian Voivodship.
On 9 May 2006 Anna Fotyga was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland by President Lech Kaczyński, replacing Stefan Meller
. The left-wing opposition criticised her office for pursuing a policy of isolation in relation to Russia
and Germany. On 7 September 2007 Fotyga was dismissed from her post but re-appointed again on the same day; in this way the Prime Minister and President avoided her being dismissed by a vote of censure prepared by Platforma Obywatelska three months earlier.
Her position on foreign affairs is congruent with the policy stance of Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, based on the concept of Poland as a strong, independent country, poised to confront Germany or Russia when necessary. She has also pursued a policy of close alignment with the U.S..
Following the fall of the Kaczynski administration in 2007, she was succeeded by Radosław Sikorski as foreign minister of Poland.
Until 20 August 2008 Fotyga was a Chief of the Office of the President of the Republic of Poland
.
She is married and has two children . She is fluent in English and Russian
Lebork
Lębork is a town on the Łeba and Okalica rivers in Middle Pomerania region, north-western Poland with some 37,000 inhabitants.Lębork is also the capital of Lębork County in Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, formerly in Słupsk Voivodeship ....
) is a Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
economist, politician, former Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
and former Minister of Foreign Affairs
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the Polish government department tasked with maintaining Poland's international relations and coordinating its participation in international and regional supra-national political organisations such as the European Union and United Nations. It is considered to be...
of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, in the successive cabinets of Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz
Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz
Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz is a Polish conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of Poland from October 31, 2005 to July 14, 2006...
and Jarosław Kaczyński. She is Poland's first female to serve in the role
Fotyga is a graduate of the University of Gdańsk and the Danish School of Public Administration. She also served postgraduate internships at the Department of Labor of the United States, Cornell University in New York and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
In 1981, and again after 1989, she acted as Head of the Foreign Office of the Solidarity headquarters in Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, and was a close associate of Lech Kaczyński
Lech Kaczynski
Lech Aleksander Kaczyński was Polish lawyer and politician who served as the President of Poland from 2005 until 2010 and as Mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 22 December 2005. Before he became a president, he was also a member of the party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość...
. In 2000, Fotyga served as a foreign affairs adviser under then Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek
Jerzy Buzek
Jerzy Karol Buzek is a Polish engineer, academic lecturer and politician who was the ninth post-Cold War Prime Minister of Poland from 1997 to 2001...
. Subsequently, she was Deputy Chair of the Supervisory Board of Social Security Administration (Zakład Ubezpieczen Spolecznych, ZUS) with special expertise in International Labour Organization
International Labour Organization
The International Labour Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues pertaining to international labour standards. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. Its secretariat — the people who are employed by it throughout the world — is known as the...
(Międzynarodowa Organizacja Pracy) and the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
. From 2002 to 2004, she was Deputy Mayor of Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
.
Fotyga garnered 25,994 votes (second highest in the region) in the 2004 European parliamentary elections as a candidate of Prawo i Sprawiedliwość in the Pomeranian Voivodship.
On 9 May 2006 Anna Fotyga was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland by President Lech Kaczyński, replacing Stefan Meller
Stefan Meller
Stefan Meller was a Polish diplomat and academician. He served as foreign minister of Poland from 31 October 2005, to 9 May 2006, in the cabinet of Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz....
. The left-wing opposition criticised her office for pursuing a policy of isolation in relation to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Germany. On 7 September 2007 Fotyga was dismissed from her post but re-appointed again on the same day; in this way the Prime Minister and President avoided her being dismissed by a vote of censure prepared by Platforma Obywatelska three months earlier.
Her position on foreign affairs is congruent with the policy stance of Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, based on the concept of Poland as a strong, independent country, poised to confront Germany or Russia when necessary. She has also pursued a policy of close alignment with the U.S..
Following the fall of the Kaczynski administration in 2007, she was succeeded by Radosław Sikorski as foreign minister of Poland.
Until 20 August 2008 Fotyga was a Chief of the Office of the President of the Republic of Poland
Office of the President of the Republic of Poland
The Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland , established in 1989, is an institution working for and under the Polish president. This is an equivalent of such institutions as the Executive Chancellery of the President of the United States, and consists of the immediate staff of the...
.
She is married and has two children . She is fluent in English and Russian