Who is Adam Szłapka? The Polish minister who faced backlash for giggling during EP debate on Gaza war

Polish Minister for European Union Affairs, Adam Szłapka, faced criticism in the European Parliament for his conduct during the debate on the humanitarian situation in Gaza at the European Parliament on March 12. As the Polish Minister was seen laughing while the session was underway, it brought condemnation from Belgian parliamentarian Marc Boatenga, who asserted, “It’s not funny, Palestinians are human beings. you should be ashamed.”

During the session, Szłapka was seen laughing, prompting Belgian left-wing MEP Marc Botenga to speak out. He addressed Szłapka directly, stating, "The first thing I want to ask is to stop laughing. You laugh when we talk about the deaths— I don’t even know how many— of Palestinians. People who are hungry, and you laugh and tell jokes. It's not funny! Palestinians are people. You should be ashamed! This is what the European Union looks like today!"

Botenga criticized what he perceived as a “contempt for the lives of the Palestinians” and expressed concerns about the EU's complicity and lack of respect for the situation. He pointed out that while the EU acknowledged the worsening conditions in Gaza, it failed to address the reasons behind it.

Adam Stanisław Szłapka is a Polish politician, political scientist, and local government official. He has been a member of the Sejm (Polish Parliament) for the 8th, 9th, and 10th terms (since 2015). He has served as the leader of the Modern party (Nowoczesna) since 2019 and has been the Minister for European Union Affairs in Donald Tusk's third government since 2023.

A graduate in political science and Eastern studies from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Szłapka was active in Młode Centrum, a youth organization affiliated with the Freedom Union and the Democratic Party. From 2006 to 2012, he served as the general secretary for these organizations.
Between 2006 and 2010, he was a town councilor in Kościan, representing the Self-Government Democratic Forum (Samorządowe Forum Demokratyczne). In 2010, he ran unsuccessfully in the local government elections.

He later became the director of Fundacja: Projekt Polska. From 2011 to 2015, he worked as an expert in the Chancellery of President Bronisław Komorowski.
In 2015, Szłapka became the general secretary of the Modern (Nowoczesna) party and successfully won a seat in the Sejm from the Kalisz constituency during that year's elections. He was appointed to the Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Committee and the Secret Service Committee. In the 2019 Polish parliamentary elections, he was re-elected as a member of parliament, receiving over 51,000 votes in the Poznań constituency.
In November 2019, he succeeded Katarzyna Lubnauer as the leader of the Modern political party. Szłapka has publicly supported the legalization of same-sex marriage in Poland.
Following the 2023 election, in December 2023, he took on the role of Minister for European Affairs in Donald Tusk's third cabinet. Szłapka is set to represent Poland in the Council of the EU from January 1 to June 30, 2025.

Earlier during the session, Szłapka had discussed the situation in Gaza, noting that “for now, the ceasefire is holding, but it remains highly fragile. We must move forward with negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire and an agreement on the release of hostages.” He expressed his belief that the Palestinian Authority is best suited to govern the Gaza Strip and should be strengthened and financially supported, stating, “There is no place for Hamas in Gaza.” He acknowledged that the humanitarian situation was worsening.

Szłapka has not publicly commented on the incident with Botenga. Brussels Signal reached out to spokespeople for the Polish Government for a response but had not received a reply by the time of publication.
In January, the Polish Government adopted a resolution ensuring “free and safe participation” for Israeli leaders, including Netanyahu, at Auschwitz memorial events, although Netanyahu ultimately chose not to attend.