Barbara Tuge-Erecinska
Encyclopedia
Barbara Krystyna Tuge-Erecińska (born March 24, 1956 in Gdańsk
, Poland
) is the Ambassador
of the Republic of Poland to the United Kingdom
, appointed by President Lech Kaczyński
on 24 October 2006.
After graduating in 1980 from the University of Gdańsk at the onset of the anti-communist Solidarity movement, Barbara Tuge-Erecińska joined the Union and set up the Solidarity International Department. "In a way, this was my first diplomatic post," she says. Her father and grandfather were members of the Home Army (Armia Krajowa) during the German and Soviet occupations of Poland
in World War II
. They were arrested by the Soviets and sent to Siberia
. Both survived the gulags thanks to lifesaving determination of her father.
during the 1980s. When martial law
was declared in Poland
on December 13, 1981, she joined the protest in the shipyard. She was the one to smuggle out the official statement by the striking workers that the resistance would continue in spite of military coup d'état
. She assisted families of political prisoners and set up a commission with the Polish Church to help them. Active in the underground during the martial law
in Poland, she was harassed by the communist party. "It wasn't a big deal compared to what happened to some," she remembers. "The worst experience was when my son was one year old -- to see those security men searching in my baby's cot." Nearly a decade later, in 1989 during the first partially free elections in the Eastern Block, Tuge-Erecinska was appointed Gdańsk’s liaison with the foreign dignitaries and journalists visiting Wałęsa, Poland's ‘real’ president. After Wałęsa’s election victory in 1990, she was appointed Ambassador to Sweden (1991-97). "At 35, not only was I the only female at our embassy, I was also the youngest member of staff," she told British Diplomat magazine.
In 1999 Barbara Tuge-Erecińska became Poland's first woman Deputy Foreign Minister
, the position held until 2001, and again in 2005. During her inaugural speech as Ambassador to the UK, Tuge-Erecińska said: "I feel privileged to be posted to this special place, which supported us during the darkest days..." Her work as the highest ranking diplomat
revolves around the Polish participation in the EU with its complex political life and economy. Her son studied in Denmark and now works in UK.
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...
, 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...
) is the Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
of the Republic of Poland to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, appointed by President 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...
on 24 October 2006.
After graduating in 1980 from the University of Gdańsk at the onset of the anti-communist Solidarity movement, Barbara Tuge-Erecińska joined the Union and set up the Solidarity International Department. "In a way, this was my first diplomatic post," she says. Her father and grandfather were members of the Home Army (Armia Krajowa) during the German and Soviet occupations of Poland
History of Poland (1939–1945)
The history of Poland from 1939 to 1945 encompasses the German invasion of Poland as well as the Soviet invasion of Poland through to the end of World War II. On 1 September 1939, without a formal declaration of war, Germany invaded Poland...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. They were arrested by the Soviets and sent to Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. Both survived the gulags thanks to lifesaving determination of her father.
Political life
Tuge-Erecinska worked closely with Solidarity leader Lech WałęsaLech Wałęsa
Lech Wałęsa is a Polish politician, trade-union organizer, and human-rights activist. A charismatic leader, he co-founded Solidarity , the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and served as President of Poland between 1990 and 95.Wałęsa was an electrician...
during the 1980s. When martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
was declared in Poland
Martial law in Poland
Martial law in Poland refers to the period of time from December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983, when the authoritarian government of the People's Republic of Poland drastically restricted normal life by introducing martial law in an attempt to crush political opposition to it. Thousands of opposition...
on December 13, 1981, she joined the protest in the shipyard. She was the one to smuggle out the official statement by the striking workers that the resistance would continue in spite of military coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
. She assisted families of political prisoners and set up a commission with the Polish Church to help them. Active in the underground during the martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
in Poland, she was harassed by the communist party. "It wasn't a big deal compared to what happened to some," she remembers. "The worst experience was when my son was one year old -- to see those security men searching in my baby's cot." Nearly a decade later, in 1989 during the first partially free elections in the Eastern Block, Tuge-Erecinska was appointed Gdańsk’s liaison with the foreign dignitaries and journalists visiting Wałęsa, Poland's ‘real’ president. After Wałęsa’s election victory in 1990, she was appointed Ambassador to Sweden (1991-97). "At 35, not only was I the only female at our embassy, I was also the youngest member of staff," she told British Diplomat magazine.
In 1999 Barbara Tuge-Erecińska became Poland's first woman Deputy Foreign Minister
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
, the position held until 2001, and again in 2005. During her inaugural speech as Ambassador to the UK, Tuge-Erecińska said: "I feel privileged to be posted to this special place, which supported us during the darkest days..." Her work as the highest ranking diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
revolves around the Polish participation in the EU with its complex political life and economy. Her son studied in Denmark and now works in UK.
See also
- List of Ambassadors of Poland to the United Kingdom
- Poland–United Kingdom relations