Patryk Tomasz Jaki (born 11 May 1985) is a Polish politician, sitting as a
Member of the European Parliament
A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...
since 2019. He is the leader of the
European Conservatives and Reformists Group
The European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR Group or simply ECR) is a Euroscepticism#Soft Euroscepticism, soft Eurosceptic, anti-European Federation, federalist political group of the European Parliament. The ECR is the parliamentary ...
in the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
, and has been vice-president of the
Law and Justice
Law and Justice ( , PiS) is a Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative List of political parties in Poland, political party in Poland. The party is a member of European Conservatives and Refo ...
party since 2024.
He was previously a member of the
Sejm
The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland.
The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...
, the lower house of the
parliament of Poland
The parliament of Poland is the bicameral legislature of Poland. It is composed of an upper house (the Senate) and a lower house (the Sejm). Both houses are accommodated in the Sejm and Senate Complex in Warsaw. The Constitution of Poland does ...
, in the VII and VIII terms (2011–2019). He served as Secretary of State in the
Ministry of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
(2015–2019) and has been the vice-chairman of the
Euronest Parliamentary Assembly since 2019.
Biography
Education
Jaki graduated from the
University of Wrocław
The University of Wrocław (, UWr; ) is a public research university in Wrocław, Poland. It is the largest institution of higher learning in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, with over 100,000 graduates since 1945, including some 1,900 researcher ...
and obtained a master's degree in political science in 2010. He also completed the ARGO Top Public Executive program organized by the
National School of Public Administration in collaboration with
IESE Business School
IESE Business School is the Catholic Church, Catholic graduate business school of the University of Navarra. It was established in Barcelona in 1958 by Opus Dei. From 1963, in collaboration with Harvard Business School, it offers a two-year Maste ...
in Barcelona (2018), and training at
Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State University (Sam Houston, SHSU or Sam) is a public research university in Huntsville, Texas, United States. Founded in 1879, it is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools wes ...
in
Huntsville,
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
. In 2019, he defended his doctoral dissertation at the Faculty of National Security of the
War Studies University. He conducted classes for students at
Opole University in the security policy workshop.
Political career
In 2003, he joined the Youth Forum of
Law and Justice
Law and Justice ( , PiS) is a Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative List of political parties in Poland, political party in Poland. The party is a member of European Conservatives and Refo ...
(PiS). He worked, among other positions, as a marketing specialist at the
International School of Logistics and Transport. He published in the journal ''Logistyka'' (Logistics). He was a member of the political cabinet of the
Opole Voivode, an assistant to MEP
Ryszard Legutko, and a member of the "
Gazeta Polska" club in
Opole
Opole (; ; ; ) is a city located in southern Poland on the Oder River and the historical capital of Upper Silesia. With a population of approximately 127,387 as of the 2021 census, it is the capital of Opole Voivodeship (province) and the seat of ...
. He also served as the vice-president of the "Stop Corruption" Association.
In 2006, he joined
Civic Platform
The Civic Platform (, PO)The party is officially the Civic Platform of the Republic of Poland (''Platforma Obywatelska Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''). is a Centre-right politics, centre-right liberal conservative political party in Poland. Since ...
and was elected to Opole City Council on its slate, before leaving shortly after the election to rejoin PiS. In 2009, he completed his political science studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the
University of Wrocław
The University of Wrocław (, UWr; ) is a public research university in Wrocław, Poland. It is the largest institution of higher learning in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, with over 100,000 graduates since 1945, including some 1,900 researcher ...
. In 2010, he was re-elected in the local government elections and became chair of the Law and Justice councillors' group that same year.
On 18 November 2015, Jaki was appointed Secretary of State in the
Ministry of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
, which included responsibility for the prison service. He was also appointed Plenipotentiary of the Minister of Justice for the Implementation of the Electronic Monitoring System. He drafted an amendment to the existing law to prohibit depriving parents of custody of their children on grounds of their bad financial situation. He was put in charge of the establishment of the Museum of Cursed Soldiers and Political Prisoners of the Polish People's Republic. He also chaired the Team for the Protection of Family Autonomy and Family Life in the Ministry of Justice.
Jaki initiated the establishment of the Verification Committee for Reprivatisation, and became its chair on 11 May 2017. He established a Polish registry of sex offenders since 1 October of the same year, as well as a government programme for the employment of prisoners which has helped to increase employment among convicts by 50%.
Jaki was the chairman of the Polish Council of Penitentiary Policy. He stated that "stopping
Islamization
The spread of Islam spans almost 1,400 years. The early Muslim conquests that occurred following the death of Muhammad in 632 CE led to the creation of the caliphates, expanding over a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted ...
is his
Westerplatte".
On 11 October 2017, Jaki received the "Polski Kompas" (Poland's Compass) award granted by the Gazeta Bankowa monthly for his "fight against a reprivatisation mafia".
Later career
Jaki gained almost 260,000 votes in the
2019 European Parliament election in Poland. He is responsible for the "Save the Heroes" campaign promoting the restoration of streets named in honor of generals
Emil August Fieldorf "Nil" and
Zygmunt Szendzielarz "Łupaszka”, as well as the legislation initiative "Let's Restore History Lessons at Schools”
Awards
* 10th place on the list of 50 most influential Poles in 2017, published in the weekly "Wprost"
* Polish Compass Award, awarded on 11 October 2017 by "Gazeta Bankowa" for "fighting the reprivatization mafia"
* Title of "Man of the Year 2017" in the Opole voivodeship, in the plebiscite of "Nowa Trybuna Opolska", for effectively attracting large investments to the region
* 10th place on the list of 50 most influential Poles in 2018, published in the weekly "Wprost"
Personal life
On 14 September 2013, Jaki married Anna Kuszkiewicz (in
Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Cross, Opole). They have a son named Radosław, who was born with Down syndrome in 2014,
and a daughter named Aleksandra (b. 2020).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaki, Patryk
1985 births
Living people
Members of the Polish Sejm 2011–2015
MEPs for Poland 2019–2024
MEPs for Poland 2024–2029
United Poland politicians
Law and Justice politicians
Civic Platform politicians
People from Opole
Anti-Islam sentiment in Poland
Polish critics of Islam
University of Wrocław alumni