Halina Wasilewska-Trenkner


Halina Weronika Wasilewska-Trenkner was a Polish economist, academic, and finance minister.

Early life and education

Halina Weronika Wasilewska-Trenkner was born in Warsaw on 26 April 1942. The secondary school certificate she acquired in Warsaw in General education liceum dedicated to Polish novelist and poet Narcyza Żmichowska, and subsequently she became a student of Warsaw School of Economics. Then in 1964, she has graduated with a degree in economics from Warsaw School of Economics. In December 1973, she has received her PhD degree in economics from Warsaw School of Economics.

Career

In 1964 she has been engaged as research assistant and then as adjunct professor at Statistics and Demography Department in Warsaw School of Economics. Next in 1974 she begun working in the Secretariat of the Government Council of Demography at Planning Commission in the Council of Ministers.
In 1975–1990 she was a Scientific Secretary of Demographic Sciences Committee of Polish Academy of Sciences, and from 1995 – she became a member of Polish National Council of Statistics.
In 1986 Wasilewska-Trenkner has been appointed to a post of vice-manager in the Department of Employment and Incomes of Population at Planning Commission in the Council of Ministers. In 1987 she moved to a post of vice-manager in the Department of Control Systems and Methods of Planning. She continued working there until the dissolution of Planning Commission. In 1989 she was invited to a post of manager of Department of Economic System in Office of Central Planning. Her next appointment there was a manager of CUP Department of Economic Strategy. In October 1991 she has succeeded a post of Under Secretary of State in CUP.
In 1991–1992 she ran a presidency of 29th session of Senior Economic Advisers, who performed their duties at United Nations Economic Commission for Europe in Geneva, Switzerland.
From 1996 she ran a presidency of the supervisory board of Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego.
In 1995 Wasilewska-Trenkner was invited to Ministry of Finance. In 1995–2001 – a post of Under Secretary of State – managing the preparation and execution of Government budget she held there. Then – in 2001 – she became Minister of Finance, and finally – once again, in 2001–2002 – she held a post of Under Secretary of State. In August 2002 she became a secretary of state in Ministry of Finance responsible for Government budget. Simultaneously – a Government Plenipotentiary to Restructuring the public finance she has been appointed.
In 2004–2010 she was a member of Monetary Policy Council. In 2010, then president of National Bank of Poland Marek Belka invited her to perform the functions of his economic advisor.
Wilanów Cemetery, 30 December 2017
In 2004 Wasilewska-Trenkner has been decorated with Commander of Polonia Restituta.
Her death took place on 15 November 2017 in Grodzisk Mazowiecki hospital, and she was buried 22 November, in the Roman Catholic Wilanów Cemetery. She recently lived in Owczarnia near Podkowa Leśna.
She had two children: daughter and son.
Her contribution in the range of demography, population policy and macroeconomic questions, particularly concerning dependences between demographic and economic problems is available in a number of books, papers and studies published in periodicals.

Selected works

Wasilewska-Trenkner was also an author of numerous publications in scientific periodicals, e.g. "Studia Demograficzne", "Gospodarka Narodowa", "Zeszyty Naukowe WSB w Poznaniu" – "Scientific Issues of European University of Business in Poznań".