The paper stresses the need to reform the European Central Bank with the aim to strengthen the democratic legitimation of this institution within the particular EU governance system. Indeed, the study argues for more accountability of the ECB before the citizens without giving up independence. The analysis (also conducted from a comparative-law point of view) shows that the objective can be assured fostering a stronger involvement of the Parliament firstly in the procedure for the appointment of the Members of the ECB’s Executive Committee, within a wider reform of the whole EU institutional setup and of the Eurozone’s organization in particular.

The purpose of the article is to present a proposal to amend the Basic Law and to indicate its close connection with the nature of the political (system) decision. The amendment to the Basic Law may be extended or limited. Possible legal constructions were carried out in the article. This would determine the conditions of Poland’s participation in the euro area, which are acceptable from the Polish constitution’s point of view.

Poland’s Systemic Challenges Before Joining the Monetary Union in the Context of the Independence of the National Bank of Poland

Poland joined the European Union as part of the largest EU enlargement so far, which took place in 2004. Poland did not take advantage of the passing 19 years of EU membership and did not join the monetary union. The analysis of Poland’s accession to the monetary union should begin with considerations regarding the adjustment and amendment of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland in this respect. In particular, it is necessary to analyze the statutory definition of NBP independence. The literature broadly covers the subject of convergence conditions and the possibility of Poland meeting them. However, the fact is overlooked that Poland, despite the passage of 19 years from the accession to the EU, remains in a significant systemic maladjustment to the provisions of the monetary union. A particular scope of the mismatch concerns the current legal position of the NBP. The lengthening period of Poland’s accession to the monetary union determines the fact that Poland remains in the second development speed in the EU with a clear tendency to increase the distance to the countries forming the euro area.