Polish and Ukrainian concepts of security and cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe in the 21st century

Central and Eastern Europe is a region located in the context of geopolitical reorganization of the world’s wetlands. The first ideas of creating a security system in this part of the continent arose after the First World War. Among them were the Polish concept of “Międzymorze” (Intermarium, aka “ABC Seas”) and the Ukrainian idea of the Baltic-Black Sea Union. The concept of security and cooperation in the region was reintroduced with the Russian Federation’s accession to the achievement of the influence index from the USSR district. There were also problems in Polish-Ukrainian relations, differences in security strategies, the delineation of the strategic partnership and the formation of the Strategic Culture of the Territories. Countries in the region have announced a number of initiatives to improve regional security (TSI, B9, L3, or Trójkąt Karpacki). The members of the mentioned concepts should be among the geopolitical figures, the position of NATO and the EU and contestations on the part of Russia.

Safety of People with Special Needs in the Light of Constitutional and Statutory Regulations

Constitutional law, as a catalog of principles, doctrines and practices governing the activities of communities, has a guiding idea, that the state must protect the fundamental rights of the individual. The article is about the safety of people with special needs in the context of the constitutional principle of equality, dignity and the common good. The aim of the article is to emphasize the necessity to enable people with special needs not only to fully participate in the use of security as a common good, but also to participate in the creation of normative acts resulting from the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland. Nobody may be discriminated against in political, social and economic life for any reason. In line with this principle and the constitutional principle of human dignity and the common good, multi-dimensional approaches to the issue of security have been shown and free use of public and social goods of people with special needs in the light of applicable norms and legal regulations.

Act of March 11, 2022. on defense of the Homeland is a classic example of an “executive act” for the constitutional regulation of issues related to state security, including military security. The Homeland Defence Act contains the so far missing specification of the normative solutions contained in the Constitution of the Republic of Poland of April 2, 1997. They concern in particular the development of regulations concerning the following constitutional issues: the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland, the duty of a Polish citizen to defend the Homeland, the President of the Republic as the supreme commander of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland and the Council of Ministers as the body that ensures the external security of the state and exercises general management in the field of national defense. The main goal of the legislator is to replace the archaic and incompatible with the current needs and tasks of the Polish state and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland regulations contained in the Act of November 21, 1967. on the general duty to defend the Republic of Poland.

The aim of this study is to examine the impact of digital technologies on the creation and final shape of the EU’s strategic autonomy. The author employed the network institutionalism as a theoretical basis and applied a critical analysis of the available material. The following hypothesis is positively verified: development of digital technologies is modifying strategic autonomy and extending it beyond the logic of freedom of political and military action. Digital resilience of core areas of EU’s functioning should be at the heart of this concept. The author argues that this model of strategic autonomy (enhanced by the close alliance with the United States) will enable the EU to strengthen its global position in technologically driven world. Less politicization is also a key reason for such a solution. It is particularly important in the context of the crisis of European integration.

The article is devoted to assessing consumers’ behaviors, particularly in terms of stockpiling, after the coronavirus outbreak, as well as their impact on the security of Poles. Firstly, the paper reviews the literature. Then the research methodology was presented, with particular emphasis on the research methodology used, indication of the encountered limitations of the research, as well as characteristics of the respondents. General recommendations on stockpiles are then presented. These recommendations have been juxtaposed with those of the Polish government in this area. Then the author presented the results of the empirical research conducted using the survey technique. The results of the research were divided into four categories, which describe: the frequency of purchases, the quantity of products purchased, purchases of new products, and the reasons for stockpiling. Based on the above elements, a discussion was held, and recommendations were developed as a result.

The continuous development of technology actually does not allow for the creation of a uniform definition of the media, but the redefinition of the notion of media is necessary. The broadcasters – institutions that have played an essential role have lost their importance as a major player in the media market. They take the position of content providers, and the media users (the auditorium, as widely defined today) and they also do not limit their position to the role of the consumers of the content. Through the availability of various materials, the recipients do not have to be limited now to one broadcaster who can affect the perception of the problem or event. This change was caused by the opportunity of the interaction between the broadcaster and the user. The recipient does not feel just a passive listener, but can actively participate in the creation of media content and thereby substantially influence the content transmission. This issue is important in the situation where the media are required for specific actions, eg. in case of threats and emergencies. The question which arises here is what kinds of media should fullfil such obligations and to what extent you can limit the freedoms and fundamental rights of individuals in the area of communication.

The importance of security education in modern society

The complexity and dynamics of contemporary world implies its continuous change. It is characterized by the emergencje of entirely new, unprecedented phenomena that should be identified and understood so modern socjety can react to them accordingly. Among the biggest threats many authors mention terrosim and transnational crime. A major challenge is technological advance as well. The aim of education for security is to prepare the society for potential but unknown threats.

Subject, object, state or process? Reflections on the typology of security

The purpose of this article is to analyse security in three dimensions: subjective, objective and processual, taking into account rich domestic and foreign literature. The use of literature study allows not only to review the current state of research, but it also has ordering, or systematizing character within domain of security studies. It is also a pretext for employing theoretical perspective on each of the above-mentioned aspects of security inspired largely by works of Ken Booth, Barry Buzan, Hedley Bull, John Vincent and Nicholas Wheeler.

The aim of this article is the characterization of the demographic trends taking place in Poland and the attempt to answer the question: how do they influence the security of the country? The conducted analyses of Statistics Poland and Eurostat data show that over the last few decades in Poland, the intensification and the accumulation of the following negative demographic trends can be observed: 1) a population decline, 2) an increasing number of older people (including so-called double ageing), and 3) changes in the structure of the population age. The above demographic processes determine the new demographic order which will influence almost all areas of the country operation and will permanently change the social context of individuals’ functioning and, in the future, will have an increasing impact on the defence capabilities of the country and the functioning of the armed forces.

Gloss to the Judgment of the Supreme Administrative Court in Warsaw of 2 February 2023, file ref. no. III OSK 3945/21

Judgment of the Supreme Administrative Court in Warsaw of February 9, 2023, III OSK 3945/21 concerns the decision of the President of the UODO regarding inadequate security measures used by the Morele.net online store, which resulted in unauthorized access to the store’s customer database. One of the disputed issues resolved is whether the President is competent to independently assess whether the technical and organizational measures used by a party to administrative proceedings to protect personal data were “adequate”, which undoubtedly requires special knowledge. The court’s position is that the President should not ascribe expertise to himself just by virtue of being a public administration body, even with a special status. The judgment should prompt the President to develop an effective methodology for its control activities. Otherwise, the authority won’t be able to refute the accusation of subjectively created objectivity shaped in jurisprudence, as well as the selective equality of administrators.

This article provides a nuanced perspective concerning the future prospects of Sino-Russian security cooperation. It examines the image of China in Russian strategic documents during President Putin’s rule and investigates potential points of conflict arising from Russia’s perception of the post-Soviet landscape as its exclusive sphere of influence. The study is based on a systematic analysis of Russian strategic documents, specifically focusing on how they address of Sino-Russian relations, as well as Russian security and foreign policy concerning Central Asia. The analysis reveals that actual Russian security policy exhibits caution in its cooperation with China. The research contributes to the field by delineating a significant discrepancy between the role ascribed to China in Russian state propaganda, and therefore in public perception, and the more measured and reasonable formulations present in Russian strategic documents. This divergence illustrates the complexity and caution that characterise genuine Sino-Russian relations, especially in the realm of security policy.

Neutrality of the Polish Armed Forces in Political Matters from the Point of View of Program Norms

The subject of the article is the regulation of the political neutrality of the Polish Armed Forces regulated by the Constitution 1997. The article goes beyond the findings of constitutional law and takes into account the views of legal theory. The article analyzes the neutrality from the perspective of aspirational norms (policies) and values. The text links the generic features of aspirational norms to political neutrality and answers three questions: who is the addressee of the norm (to whom does neutrality refer), what is the required behaviour (what is the activity of „preserving neutrality”) and what is the purpose of the required behaviour (what is the political neutrality of the Armed Forces)?