Semantics of the norms of the competence in selected constitutions of Eastern European countries

An article dedicated to semantic methods of defining of competitive norms in selected constitutions of Eastern European countries. The principle of legality requires public authorities to act solely on the basis of the applicable law and within the limits defined by them. This means the state body does only what the law expressly permits, and anything else not explicitly stated in the legal provision is prohibited. Therefore, it is very important the legislator speaks deliberately and precisely the legal language. The legislator must avoid a blurred notion and such, that allow for interpretative freedom in normative acts. Taking into account that all legislative activities we perceive to be non-accidental, each legal regulation should have a meaning that makes it impossible to make “arbitrary” decisions.

The aim of the paper is an attempt at evaluating the Eastern Partnership from the point of view of the socio-cultural dimension in a broad sense. Do cultural and civilisational factors influence relations between the EU and Eastern European and South Caucasus countries? Is the EU capable of further enlargement? The Eastern Partnership is experiencing significant turmoil (Russia-Ukraine war, unstable South Caucasus) which begs the question of the future of the policy. Moreover, the paper tackles the issue of the EU’s internal factors and their influence upon relations with Eastern countries.

The article seeks to assess the degree to which Poland exercises power and influence in the Eastern policy of the European Union (EU) from the early 21st century until now, focusing on the attributes of Poland’s latest contribution to the EU policies – the Eastern Partnership (EaP). The article examines also challenges and discussions on Polish strategy towards Eastern Europe. The authors prove that the main points of Poland’s Eastern policy are that the improper attention to it will result in loss of status positions in the international arena; Poland should not be limited by the role of the architect artist in Franco-German project in Europe; European perspective is the only incentive that can encourage the reforms in Eastern Europe; the failure to provide such a perspective would lead to social and economic instability in the region and the drift towards the participation in reintegration projects in post-Soviet space with Moscow; the Eastern Partnership should be considered as a step towards the joining the EU; Europe will take Poland into consideration only as a regional leader; Russian neo-imperialism is a challenge for Poland’s security and needs a strict reaction.

Lazarians as ambassadors of the national identity of Poles in Eastern Europe. The past, the present and the future

The article is dedicated to the activity on the part of Congregation of the Mission founded by Vincent de Paul, the so-called Lazarians, starting with their arrival to Poland in the 17th century, followed by their activity spreading to various parts of the Polish Republic in the subsequent centuries and the Mission’s difficulties in the 20th century in what is now Lithuania, Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. Attention is also given to the scope and role of Congregation of the Mission in maintaining religious, linguistic and cultural traditions in the local Polish diasporas.

Lazaristé velvyslanci národní identity Poláků na východě Evropy. Minulost-přítomnost-budoucnost

Motivations of students coming from Eastern Europe to study in Poland – international, local and institutional context

The article comprises a presentation of the motivations that accompany students coming from Belarus, Lithuania, Russia, and Ukraine when deciding to study in Poland. The theoretical framework for examining the motivation of foreign students’ migration decisions is the push-pull factors model by Everett Lee. The analyzed material comes from an online survey of foreign students studying at the University of Wroclaw and the Maria Curie Sklodowska University in Lublin in December 2022 and January 2023. The study focuses on the factors that attract foreign students to specific destinations in three contexts: international (why Poland?), local (why a particular city?), and institutional (why a particular university?). The pull factors of greatest importance for foreign students from both universities turned out to be economic and cultural ones. The evaluation of the level of democracy in Poland was also significant. Taking into account the local context, it is worth noting that Wroclaw and Lublin attract not only with their original educational offer but also with their “urban atmosphere,” a “climate” conducive to ethnic difference. Social networks – understood as having family or friends in the country, the city of study or the chosen university – turned out to be the least important for the decision to study in Poland.