Interview with Miroslawa Nykiel – Member of the European Parliament, organizer of the Congress of Women, educator, social and entrepreneurial woman, grandmother of ten, nominated for the title of Charismatic Woman in the category of Versatile Woman.
Your range of activities is impressive. Could you please share the process of your personality formation?
My resolute character revealed already in childhood. When in elementary school, boys felt respect towards me. Once, one of them scuffled with me, so I treated him the way he later carried my briefcase [laughs]. I had a hunger for reading. I read all the books the school library collected. I was born and raised in the Bieszczady Mountains. During the days of my childhood, no books were kept in countryside houses. I remember my friend’s father received an award for his merits in beekeeping: The Life of Klim Samgin, an unfinished novel by Maksim Gorky, published in six volumes, and took them all up to the attic. I went up there and, as a 13-year-old girl, read those six volumes. My son – a Polish language teacher – couldn’t then help but wonder how I got through it.
You also used to be a Polish language teacher….
Yes, in 1984-1990 I taught Polish language.
How did the course of your higher education continue?
I started with a 2.5-year Pedagogical and Artistic College in Cracow, at Kamienica Pod Baranami. These were my best studies, I made the most of it. I must admit the books absorbed during childhood and teenage years developed a kind of sense of freedom in me and this school further strengthened it. In 1983, I finished my master’s degree at the Faculty of Pedagogy and Arts in Cieszyn, a branch of Silesian University. I had the opportunity to practice my artistic interests as the director of culture centers in Zator and Miedźna. Then I studied business at the French Institute of Management in Warsaw, where I finished all the courses they offered, because of their usefulness. We practised a lot, so I learned management on specific cases. In 2013, I finished the doctoral program at the Economic and Social College of the Warsaw School of Economics.
How have you ended up in Silesia?
My husband got a job in the local mine, with a large apartment included. It was literally our salvation at the time, for we already parented two children and the third was on the way. So, I have lived in the Silesian province for more than 40 years now. When I started working with the Podbeskidzie Region of the Solidarność (Solidarity) Trade Union and organized strikes, I became fascinated with Bielsko-Biała. This city’s my love by choice. Fortunately, the love’s reciprocated, as the residents of Bielsko-Biała and Podbeskidzie have been electing me to Parliament for 20 years. An interesting aside is that when I ran for the Senate in 2005, I individually received more votes than the entire parliamentary list of the Platforma Obywatelska political party. That’s because people remembered me from 1980 and knew I was working for them.
For a number of years, you were associated with RSW “Prasa, Książka, Ruch”.
“Ruch” was the company I spent many years of my life with and went through a whole, one could say, ‘American’ career path. I started working there in 1974. Then, after the political transformation in Poland, I was chosen to many managerial positions in Ruch SA, including manager of the branch in Oświęcim, where I saved many employees. In 2000-2001, I headed the board of directors as the first chairwoman in more than 100-year history of this enterprise. At the time, Ruch was a huge company employing thousands of workers and distributing newspapers all over Poland.
During my aforementioned studies at the French Institute of Management, I sought confirmation of my actions in theory. It turned out that my earlier moves were a “shot in the arm.” In 2003-2005, I got involved in business, becoming the owner and CEO of the Educational Business Center.
When did social activities start?
Actually, since 1980. I wasn’t interested in politics at that time, but I joined Solidarność, a huge social movement, bringing together 10 million Poles, and organized strikes. People wanted me to become chair the movement. They convinced me, saying I had courage, could listen, and was a fast learner. I focused on action. When something had to be done, I did it. I often wondered what it meant to be charismatic: maybe it was that I thought less about myself and more about others. I would meet people and see that they needed to be helped, then I would help. I constantly had some ideas. My husband was surprised and asked why I did it. However, he partnered me from the very beginning. I got married at 20 on condition to keep my freedom and desire to grow, and he respected this and constantly supported me. My sons are also partners to their wives, that’s how we raised them; we shared household chores to couch together in the evening. Even my daughter-in-law recently thanked me for this. I’ve always had that social spark in me and couldn’t imagine not working for the benefit of others. These were the motives that drove me when co-founding the Academy of Entrepreneurship and Success, and the Regional Congress of Podbeskidzie Women. I’m a zodiac Libra, and I think that striving for justice is one of the main features of this sign. My blood rushes inside me when I encounter obvious injustice, even if it’s not in my interest. The Congress I founded is working and developing all the time. We publish calendars, organize exhibitions, award “Perły Podbeskidzia” (Pearl of Podbeskidzie) and other distinctions to extraordinary women, whose actions measurably change the surrounding world. In the Sejm and Senate, exhibited women fighting breast cancer. Ania Wyszkoni joined us and became the exhibition’s face. In mid-May, we are showing it in Brussels. Two groups of 50 people will go there from Bielsko-Biała.
As a politician, Senator and Member of the Polish Parliament, you have focused your activities on three main areas: energy, small and medium-sized enterprises and support for women. You have chaired many committees. What achievements do you consider the most important?
My functions have been combined with social activities and intertwined all the time. For example, I’ve recently achieved legislative success while still in the Sejm, namely, I’ve led the law on the construction of a nuclear power plant and earned everyone’s support for it. On my initiative, women entrepreneurs were invited to create laws for the SME sector.
What are you tasked with in the European Parliament?
I sit in the most important and numerous (consisting of 90 members) Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality. We have lots of meetings in working groups, in various committees. People from all over Poland and beyond turn to us with their problems. A serious economic issue is that the price of energy is too high in relation to prices in the US and China, the European economy is uncompetitive. At the end of the year, we elected a new European Commission, composed of experts, whose task is to set the course of action for the next 5 years, but also in a broader perspective. Another important matter we should emphasize is security. Poland spends 4.7% of GDP on armaments, which is a lot. Countries that haven’t lived through a war don’t understand that Europe can’t pretend it doesn’t care, because it belongs to NATO. We’re persuading our colleagues in other countries to spend more on armaments. We are living in interesting times for Europe and for Poland. We’ve taken over the presidency of the Council of the European Union as Poland, and this means that a good time is approaching and much will depend on us. We’ve defended ourselves against populism, which has taken the world over and is seriously dangerous. The time has come for the entire European Community.
What are you most proud of?
First and foremost, of my children and grandchildren. Family has always been my support and spending time with them in just a few free moments – my respite. When it comes to social and political activities, I’m also proud of the creation of the Podbeskidzie Women’s Congress and the fact that I won the trust of the people of the Silesian region and represent them in the European Parliament. This achievement crowns my whole activity. I feel very comfortable in the Europarliament, because of the possibility of a substantive discussion and exchange of ideas.
How do you spend your free time?
I read books. I’m still passionate about it. My 10 grandchildren: 5 girls and 5 boys – are great escape for me. They call me Minia. I love travelling and recently returned from a road trip in Mexico. I love animals. There have always been animals in my house, both dogs and cats. Once, I went down to the basement and there I was surrounded by a bunch of cats. I took them all home – that’s how my adventure with animals began. In the backyard I have squirrels and a colourful bird frequently comes, walking on the windowsill and knocking on the window. Oftentimes, I’m also visited by neighbourhood cats.
What are your wishes for Europeans and Poles?
First of all, I wish you all peace and finding a happy medium so that the climate is not completely destroyed and the European economy is saved. The point is to protect the Earth. After all, we have children and grandchildren…
Dorota Kolano
Beata Sekuła
