2nd Edition of the Award
In March 2018, the second Józef Oleksy Award ceremony took place.
The Award was received by Mr. Jerzy Koźmiński, an economist, diplomat
and civil servant. President of the Polish-American Freedom
Foundation. In the years 1994-2000 the Polish ambassador in Washington
DC. His activity focused on Poland's accession to NATO and on shaping
allied relations between Poland and the USA. From 1989, first as
Director General and then Undersecretary of State in the Office of the
Council of Ministers, he was a close associate of the Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of Finance, Leszek Balcerowicz. In the years
1992-1993, as undersecretary of state, he organized and led analytical
and advisory teams for Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka. Before taking up
a diplomatic mission in Washington, in 1993-1994, he was the deputy
minister of foreign affairs. In 2004 he was the chairman of the Polish
Organizing Committee of the European Economic Summit. Currently there
is, among others member of the Council of the Polish Institute of
International Affairs, chairman of the Jury of the EY Entrepreneur of
the Year competition, chairman of the Council of the Information
Society Foundation and the Council of the Good Education Foundation.
The ceremony took place in the Column Hall of the Sejm of the Republic
of Poland. As during the previous edition, its management was
entrusted to Jerzy Wenderlich.
After the award ceremony, a discussion panel was held, the theme of
which was the slogan "Dialogue beyond divisions."
The panel discussion was attended by: Danuta Waniek, Barbara Labuda,
Ludwik Dorn, Grzegorz Rydlewski, and Michał Syska. The discussion was
moderated by Mr. Jerzy Wenderlich.