The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych, MSZ) is the Polish government department tasked with maintaining Poland's international relations and coordinating its participation in international and regional supra-national political organisations such as the European Union and United Nations. The head of the ministry holds a place in the Council of Ministers.
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Remits and responsibilities of the ministry
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible primarily for maintaining friendly relations between the Polish Republic and other states. In doing so, it is required to act primarily as a representative of the Polish people. To this end, all Polish diplomatic missions around the world are subordinate to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ambassadors, whilst receiving their credentials from the President of Poland, are employees of the ministry and are recommended to the President for their posts by the minister of foreign affairs.
The ministry is considered to be one of Poland's most important, with the minister of foreign affairs ranking amongst the most influential people in Polish politics. This position is typically reserved for seasoned, professional politicians, and is thought to require a great deal of tact and intellect.
History
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was first established, with Leon Wasilewski as its secretary, under the authority of the Regency Council when Poland regained (albeit in name only) its independence from the occupying German forces in the First World War. However, the ministry began to fulfill its duties truly only after the fall of the Regency Council, adoption of the Treaty of Versailles and the rise of Józef Piłsudski. The ministry was then, until 1939, located in central Warsaw, with its seat in the Brühl Palace on Piłsudski Square. During the Second World War, the ministry was evacuated, along with the rest of the Polish government, first to France and then to London, where it formed part of the Polish government in exile. During this period Count Edward Raczyński, a man who was later to become President of the government in exile, was the minister responsible. After 1945, when most countries began to afford diplomatic recognition to the new communist government in Warsaw, at the expense of the government in exile, the authorities of the new Polish People's Republic refounded the ministry and appointed, as its first minister, Edward Osóbka-Morawski.
Since 1989 and the establishment of the Third Republic, the ministry and its staff have been located in a complex of buildings on Aleje Szucha in central Warsaw, not far displaced from the Chancellery of the Prime Minister.
The Polish cash-for-visa scandal is a 2023 political scandal concerning alleged corruption when granting visas by officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Polish consular service. The majority of recipients left Poland for North America or other Schengen Area countries.
Structure
Regional affairs departments
The departments for regional affairs exist to monitor the internal situation and politics of the countries within the area of any one specific department's competence. They coordinate development of bilateral relations, initiate the related undertakings and prepare evaluations. These departments oversee the issue of Poland's participation in the structures of multilateral cooperation with any relevant partner states, as well as handling interregional cooperation. They are responsible for the substantive activity of relevant Polish diplomatic missions abroad.
Currently the Following regional affairs departments exist:
Administration Office
Asia-Pacific Department
Bureau for the Protection of Classified Information
Bureau of Archives and Information Management
Bureau of Control and Audit
Bureau of Finances
Bureau of Human Resources
Bureau of Infrastructure
Department for Cooperation with Polish Diaspora and Poles Abroad
Department for Proceedings before International Human Rights Protection Bodies
Department of Africa and the Middle East
Department of Consular Affairs
Department of Development Cooperation
Department of Economic Cooperation
Official Development Assistance
The largest proportion of Poland’s official development assistance (ODA) is provided as core contributions to the multilateral system, particularly to European Union (EU) institutions. According to the OECD, Poland’s total ODA (USD 3.4 billion, preliminary data) increased in 2022, representing 0.51% of gross national income (GNI), driven by a surge in in-donor refugee costs, but also higher contributions to international organisations.
Ministers of Foreign Affairs (since 1989)
Political Party:
PO
PiS
SLD
UW
Independent
Previous officeholders
Kingdom of Poland (1917–1918)
Wojciech Rostworowski (26 November 1917 – 27 February 1918) (Director of the Department of Political Affairs)
Janusz Radziwiłł (4 April 1918 – 23 October 1918) (Director of the Department of State)
Stanisław Głąbiński (23 October 1918 – 4 November 1918) (Minister for Outside Affairs)
Second Polish Republic
Leon Wasilewski (17 November 1918 – 16 January 1919)
Ignacy Jan Paderewski (16 January 1919 – 9 December 1919)
Władysław Wróblewski (13 December 1919 – 16 December 1919)
Stanisław Patek (16 December 1919 – 9 June 1920)
Eustachy Sapieha (23 June 1920 – 24 May 1921)
Jan Dąbski (24 May 1921 – 11 June 1921)
Konstanty Skirmunt (11 June 1921 – 6 June 1922)
Gabriel Narutowicz (18 June 1922 – 14 December 1922)
Aleksander Skrzyński (16 December 1922 – 26 May 1923)
Marian Seyda (28 May 1923 – 27 October 1923)
Roman Dmowski (27 October 1923 – 14 December 1923)
Karol Bertoni (19 December 1923 – 19 January 1924)