Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz: politician, lawyer, farmer; born September 13, 1950, in Warsaw, married, two children: daughter Małgorzata and son Tomasz.

Education: studies at Law and Administration Department of Warsaw University, obtained MA in 1972, Ph.D. in 1978 at International Organizations Section of the Institute of International Law at the Law and Administration Department of Warsaw University; assistant and lecturer, 1972-1978; Fulbright scholarship holder in 1980-1981, scholarship at Columbia University in New York; from 1985 - private farmer; vice-premier and justice minister, 1993-1995; premier, 1996-1997 Member of the Union of Socialist Youth, 1968-1973 (chairman of the Union's board at Warsaw University in 1972-1973), Union of Polish Students/Socialist Union of Polish Students 1968-75 (Chairman of the University Council , 1973); member of the Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR) , 1971-1990; member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, 1992-1996; member of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) since 1999; member of parliament since 1989 (member of the PZPR caucus, 1989-1990); chairman of the SLD parliamentary fraction, 1990-1993; deputy speaker of the Sejm (lower house of parliament), 1995-1996; chairman of the constitutional commission, 1995-1996; member of the special commission on territorial self-government, 1990; vice-chairman of the national minorities commission, 1989-1991; member of the parliamentary foreign affairs commission since 1989; member of the board of the Inter-parliamentary Union, 1989-1991; member of the Podlaskie province council, 1998-2001.

Knight of the Order of Merit of the French Republic since 1997, Knight of the Order of the Greek Republic since 1997, honorary doctor's degrees of Appalachian University (1998) and South Carolina University (1997).