Mateusz Balcerowicz Named New Head of Polish Waters

He assumes the role from Joanna Kopczyńska, whose dismissal was officially announced earlier this week. Balcerowicz is qualified for the job and he should assume his duties well and effectively," the minister said.

Joanna KopczyÅ„ska’s dismissal was announced on Monday by the Ministry of Infrastructure. Balcerowicz, who has been deputy president since January 2024, moves up to the president’s post.

Water Management and Government Background
Balcerowicz has worked in water management for years. He served as Vice-President of Wody Polskie, responsible for national planning, investment, and maintenance of water-related objects owned by the State Treasury, as well as flood and drought prevention.

He was previously in charge of water resources at the Ministry of the Environment between 2013-2017, and previously still in the Nadwiślański Provincial Office, between 2008 and 2013 leading the flood safety department.

In 2018, he was also the deputy president of Wody Polskie, the deputy director of international cooperation of the Ministry of Infrastructure, and the director of innovation of the National Support Centre for Agriculture (NCSA) up to 2024.

Academic and Scientific Involvement
Balcerowicz holds an M.A. from the University of Warsaw’s Institute of International Relations in the field of security and strategic studies. He graduated with distinction from the Faculty of Economic Sciences at the University of Warsaw and the National Bank of Poland's postgraduate studies. He graduated from the University of Life Sciences in Warsaw at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

He is an authentic scientist, From 2019 until 2024 he was the editor-in-chief of the Gospodarka Wodna journal, and he was a member of a few scientific boards (the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management and the Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation).

He participated in numerous advisory and supervisory bodies, including the Water Management Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Sustainable Water Management Committee, the Agricultural Market Council, and the Provincial Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Zielona Góra.

From 2024, he has been serving in the position of deputy chairman of the Committee on Water Sciences and Water Management of the Polish Academy of Sciences. "Balcerowicz has a wealth of experience and expertise which he now brings to Polish Waters as our new president.