Marek Belka

Marek Belka in Warsaw 2010

The bust of Belka in Galeria Chwały Polskiej Ekonomii , here at the unveiling at the Warsaw Stock Exchange in March 2014

Marek Marian Belka [ ˈmarɛk ˈbɛlka ] (born January 9, 1952 in Łódź ) is a Polish economist and professor of economics and a former politician of the League of Democratic Left (SLD). He was head of the Central Bank of Poland and Polish Prime Minister from 2004 to 2005 .

Life

Marek Belka studied economics and sociology . He received his doctorate in 1978 on the subject of "Anti-inflation policy in developed capitalist states", which earned him a study visit to the USA. In 1980 he became party secretary of the Faculty of Economic Policy at the University of Łódź . In 1994 Belka became a full professor. After Aleksander Kwaśniewski became president , Belka moved to the advisory staff of the president.

In 2004 he became Prime Minister of Poland. He had previously been Polish finance minister twice and his rigid austerity policy made himself unpopular with the public. As a long-time economic advisor to Aleksander Kwaśniewskis, he enjoyed his trust - an advantage in government work where the SLD did not have a parliamentary majority. On May 14, 2004, he lost a vote of confidence in the Polish Sejm with 188 to 262 votes. After this severe defeat, he resigned from his post as Prime Minister. However, President Kwaśniewski reappointed him and he was finally confirmed by parliament at the end of June 2004 with 236 votes to 215. Since in May 2005 he no longer saw a future for the minority government of the SLD, which he led, he offered President Kwaśniewski his resignation on May 6, 2005 in order to bring about early elections for early summer. However, Kwaśniewski refused his resignation and continued to serve until October 10, 2005.

On 16 July 2008, he was awarded the University of Potsdam , the honorary doctorate . In January 2009 Belka became head of the European division of the International Monetary Fund . Belka was elected head of the Polish Central Bank on June 10, 2010 as the successor to the late Sławomir Skrzypek . In October 2013 he was accepted into the Galeria Chwały Polskiej Ekonomii .

In addition to Polish, Marek Belka speaks fluent German, English and Russian.

Web links

Commons : Marek Belka  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Entry on Marek Belka in the database of Members of the European Parliament

Footnotes

1. ↑ Media information - no .: 170/08 , University of Potsdam, July 8, 2008
2. ↑ 2009 - Rethinking Europe , Goethe.de, accessed on March 7, 2010
3. ↑ Polskie Radio, Marek Belka is the new head of the National Bank of Poland NBP , June 11, 2010
4. ↑ Belka z wyróżnieniem , in: Parkiet.com of October 18, 2013 (in Polish, accessed October 18, 2013)