New Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government was sworn in by Poland's president on Wednesday, the final step in a transfer of power that marks a huge change after eight years of nationalist rule. Following years of disputes between Warsaw and Brussels under the previous government, led by the Law and Justice (PiS) party, Tusk's appointment has raised hopes of smoother relations with the rest of the European Union.
In a speech to parliament on Tuesday, centrist Tusk, who as European Council president from 2014 to 2019 chaired summits of EU leaders, vowed to secure billions of euros for Poland that have been frozen by the EU over concerns about the rule of law. His task could be complicated by judges appointed under PiS reforms that critics said undermined the independence of the courts and by the power to veto laws held by President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally.
