I gladly welcome you to my website. Here you will find news about the issues which I am working on as your representative in the European Parliament as well as the overall European agenda.

I encourage you to explore my website and take advantage of the information provided there.

I was born on the 13th of September 1976 in Gdańsk. Since the earliest years of school I have dedicated myself to various activities in youth and sports organizations. In 1991 I began my education at the 5th High School in Gdańsk.

In January 1995 I went to the USA, where I graduated from Glastonbury High School in Connecticut.

That same year, in September, I began my studies at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts. In 2001 received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Faculty of Political Science. I also graduated from the University of Gdansk receiving the title of Master of Arts in Political Science.

In 2001 I began working as a media structures' analyst in a computer firm specialising in the MediaMap software program. After a 12-months internship I moved to the state of Indiana, where I establishing institutional contacts for the Hudson's Institute, working mainly in the cooperation between high schools' and institutions.

In December 2002 I returned to Poland, where I was employed in the office of Lech Walesa in Gdańsk.

In 2005 I ran for election to the Polish Parliament in the District of Gdańsk in the Civic Platform's Party (PO). I won the Deputy's mandate by gaining 14,709 votes. During the Parliament's 5th Term I was working in the EU Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee. In 2007 I was re-elected for the second term.

In June 2009 I ran for election to the European Parliament gaining 73,968 votes which gave me the mandate to be a Member of the European Parliament (MEP).

In May 2014 I was re-elected to the European Parliament from the Pomeranian Region.

The European Parliament (2009 - 2014)

I was a member of the Committee on Fisheries and the Vice-Coordinator of the Committee on Petitions. I was also a member of the Delegation to the EU- Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee and deputy member of the International Trade Committee and a member of the Delegation for relations with Japan.

The priority of my activity in the Committee on Fisheries was working on the on-going Common Fisheries Policy reform. Its main goal was to guarantee a balanced development of the sea's environment, fisheries resources, related industry branches and seaside communities.

The European Union annually shows its appreciation for the variety and potential of European seas and oceans, declaring the 20th of May as the European Maritime Day. Each year on this occasion many conferences are organized covering the local maritime policies and its realisation. In May 2011 I was co-organizer of an official visit of members from the Committee on Fisheries, which took place in Gdańsk during the Maritime Days celebrations. The main goal of the visit was to show the present situation of the Polish fishing industry. The visit by the Members of the European Parliament was a splendid opportunity to discuss the current cooperation regarding the Common Fisheries Policy Reform issue with the future programme of EU funds in the fisheries sector which are crucial to Poland.

While working with the Committee on Petitions I had a unique opportunity to see first-hand the difficulties which EU citizens face. The submitted petitions provided me a broad look at all the cases of the breached rights of our EU citizens. In January 2012 I was entrusted once more with the post of Vice-Coordinator in the Committee, whose main tasks were to prepare and coordinate the EPP Group position, distribute the dossiers among the members, assigning rapporteurs, and representing the EPP Group on the committees meetings.

Another aspect of my work was the potential  free trade between Japan and the  EU. In the last few months the Japanese side had increased its interests in initiating an eventual negotiation concerning a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the EU. I was delegated by the EPP Group and I was responsible for monitoring the course of those meetings. The FTA’s main priority was the elimination of the existing non-tariff barriers against the unconstrained access of European products to the Japanese market.

Another area of my activity was the promotion of respecting human rights and strongly protesting against any kind of violation.

I was also promoting the respect for human rights. In June 2011 I was chosen to preside over the newly established temporary Delegation to monitor the judicial processes of journalists in Turkey. The delegations goal was to observe the prosecuted journalists, who are imprisoned for writing articles about issues which are considered by the government in Ankara as 'inconvenient'.

Before the referendum in Sudan, I had organised a conference called 'Eye on Sudan', which covered the matter of the newly created State of South Sudan. It was a great opportunity for discussion about the future of this highly concentrated area of famine and poverty. The lecture "Breakfast with Cuba" took place in November 2011 within the activity of the Friends of Free Cuba Group, over which I presided. This meeting made it possible to exchange ideas concerning the topic of human rights' violations and the persecution of Cuban activists.

I have always been very supportive of all projects which help to promote Poland abroad. In June of 2010, along with the Polish Tourist Organisation, I inaugurated the celebration of Chopin's Year in Brussells. In November 2010, on the 30th Anniversary of the creation of the 'Solidarność' movement, I organized a conference in the European Parliament entitled 'Solidarity for the future'. Its primary goal was the exchange of ideas between the main role players of the Solidarity days of transformation. In attendance were many significant contributors to the movement: President Lech Wałęsa, Vice-Chancellor Hans-Dietrich Genscher and Mr. John R. Davies, the Ambassador of the US in Poland in that time. During the conference a banner was presented, consisting of 660 pictures taken of famous and anonymous people, each one with a sign reading "Solidarity - Thank you". Pictures were also taken in the Parliament where there were over 100 participants.

The European Parliament (2014 - 2019)

I am a Vice-chair of the Committee on Fisheries and again the deputy coordinator of the Committee on Petitions. I am also a member of the Delegation for Relations with Japan, a Substitute member of the Committee on International Trade, a Delegation for relations with the countries of Central America, and a Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly.

From the very beginning of my second term, I managed to promote Poland abroad. In November 2014, in collaboration with Mr Jan Olbrycht and the Polish Tourist Organisation, I organized an event promoting Poland “Move Your Imagination”, commemorating the 25th anniversary of freedom, the 10th anniversary of the Polish EU and the 5th anniversary of new promotional programs Polish Tourist Organization. The guest of honour was President Lech Wałęsa, Nobel Prize winner.

I am a holder of "Zlote Logo Polska", awarded by the Polish Tourist Organization.

Now that you know me better I encourage you to further explore my professional life depicted on the website. You can also find some pictures from the recent events which I have organised or participated in. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words…

© Jarosław Wałęsa 2015 - 2024. Wszelkie prawa zastrzeżone.
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