The National Security Institute Foundation has identified a number of people now serving in Donald Tusk’s government who were previously linked in various ways to the German Marshall Fund. “Such a large presence in government of officials connected with GMF must inevitably affect the credibility and steerability of Poland’s authorities. It is worth stressing that GMF’s projects, grants and overall activity are designed to build a specific kind of German soft power,” write Stanisław Żaryn and Marcin Lidka.
The German Marshall Fund and Its Background
The German Marshall Fund (GMF) is a foundation operating in the United States and Europe, established in 1972 on the initiative of West Germany, which also provides a significant share of its financing. In a recent parliamentary inquiry, MP Michał Woś pointed out that “the GMF’s president has previously lobbied openly in the U.S. Congress for economic sanctions against Poland and for limiting the presence of U.S. troops in our country.”
The National Security Institute Foundation (IBN) has just published an analysis focusing on the links between members of Donald Tusk’s administration and GMF.
“The organisation operates at the intersection of German and American politics, promoting trans‑Atlantic interests. Beneath that façade, however, GMF in practice advances Germany’s strategic objectives and soft‑power policy. It deals with issues such as the future of democracy, security and geopolitics, as well as technology and innovation,” the IBN notes.
The Institute adds that GMF representatives “have in recent years joined political attacks on Poland.”
Government Figures Connected to GMF
According to the Institute, the officials associated with GMF include:
- Michał Baranowski – Under‑Secretary of State at the Ministry of Development and Technology; linked to GMF since 2005, co‑founder of the Fund’s Warsaw office and, since 2021, Managing Director of GMF East.
- Zuzanna Rudzińska‑Bluszcz – Under‑Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice; alumna of the GMF‑funded Marshall Memorial Fellowship.
- Maciej Duszczyk – Under‑Secretary of State at the Ministry of the Interior and Administration; member of a GMF‑affiliated forum working on migration issues.
- Monika Sikora (Deputy Minister of Funds and Regional Policy), Krzysztof Bolesta (Deputy Minister of Climate and Environment), Monika Dziadkowiec (Director‑General at the Ministry of Climate and Environment) and Magdalena Sobkowiak‑Czarnecka (Under‑Secretary of State for European Affairs in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister).
“Real Risks for Poland”
“Such a large share of people with GMF ties in the government has to tell on the credibility and steerability of Poland’s authorities. GMF’s projects, grants and entire operation aim to build Germany’s distinctive soft power. That influence clearly affects how reality is perceived and what political decisions are made. The presence of individuals shaped by GMF inside the Polish government poses genuine risks for Poland,” contend Stanisław Żaryn and Marcin Lidka.