View source for Janusz Lewandowski

{{short description|Polish politician and economist (born 1951)}}
{{for|a diplomat of the Communist Poland|Janusz Lewandowski (diplomat)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Janusz Lewandowski
| image               = Janusz Lewandowski 2024 (cropped).jpg
| office              = [[European Commissioner for Financial Programming and the Budget]]
| president           = [[José Manuel Barroso]]
| term_start          = 9 February 2010
| term_end            = 1 July 2014
| predecessor         = [[Algirdas Šemeta]]
| successor           = [[Andris Piebalgs]] {{small|(Acting)}}
| birthname           = Janusz Antoni Lewandowski
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1951|6|13|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Lublin]], [[People's Republic of Poland|Poland]]
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| party               = [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] {{small|(1980–1988)}}<br />[[Liberal Democratic Congress]] {{small|(1988–1994)}}<br />[[Freedom Union (Poland)|Freedom Union]] {{small|(1994–2001)}}<br />[[Civic Platform]] {{small|(2001–present)}}
| alma_mater          = [[University of Gdańsk]]
| office1             = [[Member of the European Parliament]]<br />for [[Poland (European Parliament constituency)|Poland]]
| termstart1          = 1 July 2014
| caption             = Lewandowski in 2024
}}
'''Janusz Antoni Lewandowski''' ({{IPA|pol|ˈjanuʂ lɛvanˈdɔfskʲi}}; born 13 June 1951) is a [[politics of Poland|Polish politician]] and economist belonging to the Gdańsk liberals group, and a former member of the [[European Parliament]] (elected on 13 June 2004), Chairman of the [[Committee on Budgets]]. On 27 November 2009 he obtained the post of [[European Commissioner for Financial Programming & the Budget|Budget and Financial Programming Commissioner]] of the [[European Commission]] and is affiliated to the [[European People's Party]] (EPP).<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8378401.stm "Barroso gets new EU Commission team"], BBC News, 25 November 2009; accessed 28 November 2009</ref><ref>[http://www.epp.eu/newsdetail.php?hoofdmenuID=4&newsID=572&submenuID=49&subsubmenuID=147 "Barroso II: 13 EPP Commissioners receive key portfolios"]{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, European People's Party, 27 November 2009; accessed 28 November 2009</ref> He was re-elected for the 8th term (2014–2019) of the European Parliament, as a member of the EPP group.

== Biography ==
[[Image:Pawel Rogalinski, Janusz Lewandowski.jpg|thumb|left|[[Paweł Rogaliński]] and Janusz Lewandowski (2012)]]
Lewandowski was born in [[Lublin]]. He graduated in economics from [[University of Gdańsk]], received a doctorate and was a lecturer there until 1984. Later he worked for [[Polish Oceanic Lines]] (Polskie Linie Oceaniczne). He was also a lecturer at [[Harvard University]] and the founder of the Research Institute for Market Economy in [[Gdańsk]] (Instytut Badań nad Gospodarką Rynkową w Gdańsku).

He is an author of a book on famous liberals and he also writes short articles for several newspapers and magazines, including ''[[Rzeczpospolita (newspaper)|Rzeczpospolita]], [[Gazeta Wyborcza]], [[Parkiet]], [[Polityka]], [[Wprost]]'' and ''[[Newsweek]]''.

== Political career ==
From 1980 to 1989 he was an economics adviser to the [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] anti-communist movement, and in 1988 he was one of the founders of the [[Liberal Democratic Congress]]. He was the Minister of Privatization in the cabinets of [[Jan Krzysztof Bielecki]] (1990–1991) and [[Hanna Suchocka]] (1992–1993). His major successes were the foundation of the [[Warsaw Stock Exchange]] and the mass privatization programme (Program Powszechnej Prywatyzacji).

He lost his parliamentary seat in the [[1993 Polish parliamentary election|1993 elections]] and worked as an international expert from 1994 to 1997. After the merger of KLD and [[Democratic Union (Poland)|Democratic Union]] in 1994 he became a member of [[Freedom Union (Poland)|Freedom Union]] (UW), and in 1997 member of [[Sejm]] representing UW. Together with [[Donald Tusk]] and other liberals he seceded from UW to form [[Civic Platform]], and was elected an MP again in 2001. Since 2003 he was an observer in the [[European Parliament]].

In the [[2004 European Parliament election in Poland|2004 European Parliament election]] he was a candidate of [[Civic Platform]] in constituency #1 [[Pomeranian Voivodship]] and received 79,879 votes (=20.17%, the best result in the region). On 23 July 2004 he was elected chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Budgets.

[[Andris Piebalgs]] was twice Acting Commissioner in his stead, from 19 April 2014 – 25 May 2014 while he was on electoral campaign leave for the [[2014 European Parliament election in Poland|2014 European Parliament election]] from 1 July 2014 – 16 July 2014 after he took up his seat.<ref>[http://euobserver.com/news/123733 EU Observer – Six Commissioners Head for EU Election Campaign Trail]</ref><ref>[http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2385629&language=en KUNA – Barroso announces caretaker replacements following resignation of 4 EU Commissioners]</ref>

Lewandowski was re-elected for the 8th term (2014–2019) of the European Parliament, as a member of the EPP group.

He was re-elected for the 9th term (2019–2024) of the European Parliament and was chosen as the 1st Vice-Chair of the EP Committee on Budgets.

==Political positions==
Lewandowski has expressed skepticism about the scientific consensus on [[anthropogenic climate change]], putting him at odds with many of his colleagues in the Barroso Commission.<ref>{{cite news|last=Willis|first=Andrew|title=Poland blocks climate efforts in 'dark day' for Europe|url=http://euobserver.com/9/32529|access-date=22 June 2011|newspaper=EUObserver|date=22 June 2011}}</ref> MEPs have asked "which steps" president Barroso will take over the comments.<ref>{{cite news|last=Willis|first=Andrew|title=MEPs demand action from Barroso over climate sceptic remarks|url=http://euobserver.com/9/32543|access-date=24 June 2011|newspaper=EUObserver|date=23 June 2011}}</ref> As one of the key experts on the European Union long term budget, known as "Multiannual Financial Framework", or MFF, MEP Lewandowski was one of the European Parliament "rapporteurs", recommending the agreement on the MFF 2021–2027.<ref>{{cite news|title=European Parliament budget committee calls for European Council to adopt 2021-2027 MFF by qualified majority|url=https://agenceurope.eu/en/bulletin/article/12130/11|access-date=21 March 2019|newspaper=Agence Europe|date=5 November 2018}}</ref>

==See also==

* [[2004 European Parliament election in Poland]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Janusz Lewandowski}}
*[http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/2010/mediaGallery.cfm?&gallery=yes&sitelang=en#8691 Janusz Lewandowski] Official Media Gallery

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{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Paweł Samecki]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Polish European Commissioner]]|years=2010–2014}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Jacek Dominik]]}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[Algirdas Šemeta]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[European Commissioner for Financial Programming and the Budget]]|years=2010–2014}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Andris Piebalgs]]<br />{{small|Acting}}}}
{{s-end}}

{{Ministers of Privatization of Poland}}
{{Jan Krzysztof Bielecki Cabinet}}
{{Hanna Suchocka Cabinet}}
{{Second Barroso Commission}}
{{European Commissioners from Poland}}
{{European People's Party}}
{{Current EP Poland}}
{{EP Political Group EPP}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewandowski, Janusz}}
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:Civic Platform MEPs]]
[[Category:Civic Platform politicians]]
[[Category:Government ministers of Poland]]
[[Category:Harvard University staff]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Members of the Polish Sejm 1991–1993]]
[[Category:Members of the Polish Sejm 1997–2001]]
[[Category:Members of the Polish Sejm 2001–2005]]
[[Category:MEPs for Poland 2004]]
[[Category:MEPs for Poland 2004–2009]]
[[Category:MEPs for Poland 2009–2014]]
[[Category:MEPs for Poland 2014–2019]]
[[Category:MEPs for Poland 2019–2024]]
[[Category:MEPs for Poland 2024–2029]]
[[Category:Politicians from Lublin]]
[[Category:Polish economists]]
[[Category:University of Gdańsk alumni]]
[[Category:Freedom Union (Poland) politicians]]
[[Category:Polish European commissioners]]
[[Category:Member of the Mont Pelerin Society]]