One of the important dimensions of the evaluation of society existence is energy security. Providing the right framework for the electricity sector is the basis for the operation of this type of security in its economic dimension, and so this issue can be seen as one of the top priorities of energy policies. This raises the need for an appropriate legal framework to enable proper interaction of administration bodies responsible for the overall relations, both inside and outside the state. Associated with this is also the issue of the appropriate rank of the fundamental – constitutional – norms. The Polish example of a system of constitutional law shows that, despite the lack of a reference to this issue in the Constitution, by means of interpretation of “sustainable development” (art. 5 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland) one can find the relevant legislation, allowing the chief state authorities to carry out the activity in relation to the issue of “energy security”.

The current study assumes that the notion of sustainable development, typical for the discourse on environmental protection, can be also applied to political research and indicates that institutions play a very important role in the process of creating and maintaining the balance of the political system, the aim of which is to build sustainable relations between different participants in its space. The European Union, which seems to feature characteristics of a hybrid organization and displays strong tendency to increase complexity, is examined. The EU institutions have a very important and often difficult role to play in sustaining intergovernmental and supranational influence and therefore often find themselves in contradictory situations. The intersecting efforts to deepen integration and at the same time the need to protect sovereignty do not allow for straightforward achievement of sustainable development of the integration system. Therefore, a distinctive feature of this system is the maintaining of sustainability rather than the actual achievement of sustainable development.

The essence and status of the constitutional principle of sustainable development (according to the judgments of the Constitutional Tribunal)

The term „sustainable development” is a”constitutional” term in Poland – in the sense that the Constitution uses, but does not define it. In the Polish legal language, it is a relatively new concept, formed in the early 1990s. By not introducing a definition of „sustainable development” into the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, the lawmakers of the constitutional system left it, in practice, relatively open to interpretation. The current study aims to analyze the decisions of the Constitutional Tribunal in Poland, especially concerning the scope of art. 5 of the Constitution, on the basis of which, among others, the principle of sustainable development was put forward.

Right to a future consistent with human dignity and right to clean air in light of constitutional values and rules

This article is concerned with the right to a future consistent with human dignity and the right to clean air. Environmental protection is one of the constituents of ecological security. Actions taken to ensure ecological security and protection of natural environment are multidimensional in character. They pertain to not only the duties of public authority but they also strongly affect the area of rights and liberties of an individual. The right to environment of adequate quality is a fundamental human right. Public authorities should strive to improve the present state of the environment and direct its subsequent development such that current as well as future generations can lead a dignified life. The right to clean air ought to be interpreted as a personal right resulting from constitutional values and rules.