# Tusk heads the European Council (2014)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/2014-tusk-heads-the-european-council
Location: Brussels

Former Prime Minister Donald Tusk became President of the European Council, the first from a former Eastern bloc country. Within the broader Third Republic period: Democratic Poland transformed its economy, joined NATO and the European Union and became one of Europe's leading states, while confronting new security challenges on its eastern border. At this point in the timeline (2014), the governing authority was Bronisław Komorowski (President of Poland). Acting president after the Smolensk crash as Marshal of the Sejm, then elected president in 2010. Tusk heads the European Council mattered because it anchored Poland more firmly in the institutions of a united Europe. The event is placed here so readers can follow it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion and culture across Polish history.

## Why it matters
Tusk heads the European Council mattered because it anchored Poland more firmly in the institutions of a united Europe.

Ruler at the time: [Bronisław Komorowski](https://poland-history.com/rulers/bronislaw-komorowski)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Donald Tusk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Tusk)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Tusk heads the European Council](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Tusk+heads+the+European+Council)
- [Wikipedia — History of Poland (1989–present) (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Poland_(1989%E2%80%93present))