Bronislaw Geremek

13th July marks the first death anniversary of Bronislaw Geremek, one of the architects of Poland's democratic transformations, who died in a car accident in 2008 at the age of 76. 

Agnieszka Bielawska reports

An academic specialist in medieval French history, fond of pipe-smoking, tweed jackets and renowned for his dry sense of humour, Geremek became a key adviser to the Solidarity trade union leader Lech Walesa in the 1980s. He took part in the round table talks of 1989, and in the years 1997-2000 took over as Poland's head of diplomacy.

Geremek as Polish Foreign Minister, negotiated this country’s accession to Nato and its progress towards EU membership. To him NATO expansion was the end of an era which divided the world into two camps by the menacing, symbolic Iron Curtain,

In the last years of his life, he was a member of the European Parliament, well recognised as one of those politicians in the European Parliament to command respect due to his unshaken moral values and patriotism.

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