Poland’s prime minister reshuffles Cabinet to release ministers running for European Parliament

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Friday announced changes in his Cabinet to replace four ministers running for the European Parliament next month.

The reshuffle is also seen as a chance to bring in new energy into Tusk’s government that took office in December and embarked on deep reforms in many areas, including justice and the media.

Leaving are Culture Minister Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz, who spearheaded the change of management at the state TV, radio and news agency, and the minister of the interior and administration, Marcin Kierwinski. Also the minister of state assets, Borys Budka and of development and technology, Krzysztof Hetman, were replaced.

Tusk said that, while no one should think that his position has no time limits, the ministers have fulfilled their tasks.

The new interior minister is Tomasz Siemonika, who had served as defense minister in Tusk’s previous government. The culture minister is now Hanna Wroblewska. Jakub Jaworowski, whom Tusk described as a “Renaissance man” was put in charge of state assets, where a lot of auditing is taking place currently, and Krzysztof Paszyk is the new minister of development and technology.

Tusk’s pro-European Union government has embarked on a wide reversal of the policies of its right-wing predecessors, who between 2015-23 put Poland on a collision course with the 27-member EU.

The Associated Press