The complexity of the concept of energy security  and its basic principles in the Constitution

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 competences of the Prime Minister and proper ministers in the area of national security and defence

Council of Ministers is constitutional body of the executive power in Poland which is responsible for internal and external security of the State and public order. Other than Council of Ministers competences belongs to members of Council of Ministers like Prime Minister, Minister of National Defence and minister proper to internal affairs. What’s important that are two basic areas of competences of Council of Ministers members. First of all there are competences based on dependence relation between described bodies and other public administration bodies, including for example local government and military service. On the other hand there are detailed competences that enable realization of State security and defense politics both in peace and war period.

Acts under the law in the constitutional order of  Polish tradition and modernity

The issue of the place and role of the acts under the Act in order political system is important in the study of constitutional law, both in terms of the structure of the system of sources of law and system of government. The question of the issue by the acts of the executive authorities of universally binding law of the power of the law is in fact closely linked to the principle of separation of powers, namely the formula rationalization of law-making in a system of parliamentary government. Evidence of this act, that the greatest development of this type of legislation came in the first half of the twentieth century, acting in response to a profound crisis of parliamentarism functional in Europe. Acts under the Act are also a permanent place in the Polish political tradition. Introduced for the first time under the so-called novel in August of 1926, in various forms and with varying intensity continuously operate in the Polish system of sources of law until 1989. She received them the Small Constitution of 1992, as amended regulations with the force of law, issued by the Council of Ministers on the basis of parliamentary authority. The Constitution of 2 April 1997 reduced the role and importance of regulations with the force of law, reducing the possibility of their issuance by the President only for exceptional circumstances relating to the imposition of martial law and the inability to act of the Sejm. Because of the perceived need to rationalize more and more Polish law-making, it is appropriate to consider the possibility of widening the scope of application of the Regulations with the force of law in the Polish constitutional order, by granting the government the power to issue them under parliamentary authority, so that the formula adjusted relative to solutions that She received Small Constitution of 1992.

Prosecutor’s Office and the Council of Ministers  (remarks aside the evaluation of the report of Public  Prosecutor General by the President of the Council of Ministers)

The time of the prosecutor’s office functioning within the new political system allowed for determination of deficiencies in terms of legal regulations and correction of the legal instruments of the prosecutor’s office operation. Present legal regulations give the autonomy to the Public Prosecutor General, which is expressed in the fact that the prosecutor’s office is not subordinate to any other state authority. However, placement within the state authorities’ structures does not involve breaking up the institutional bonds between the Public Prosecutor General and other public authorities, especially with the Council of Ministers and the Minister of Justice. Pursuant to the idea of separation of powers in the democratic state of law, apart from the principle of competences distribution, the principle of public authorities’ co-operation is underlined. In the context of the activity of the Public Prosecutor General and yearly report which is submitted by him to the Council of Ministers the author presents the dilemmas which result from the situation. She indicates which direction the changes shall go with reference to it, in the new act on the prosecutor’s office right which is under preparation by the government. The main objective of the new bill is to allow for the parliamentary, yearly debate over the prosecutor’s office activity and introduction of institutional solutions which would allow for good co-operation of the Council of Ministers with the Public Prosecutor General, what does not always happen. The author thinks that the act does not specify any deadline in which the President of the Council of Ministers has to evaluate the report. Such a state of uncertainty is a major threat for the prosecutor’s office functioning. It may have a negative impact on the act of undertaking organizational and functional changes which improve the work of the prosecutor’s office, while the Public Prosecutor General being afraid of the prime minister’s decision may avoid public speaking in important issues. This is why the prime minister shall be bound with the specified deadline for giving the decision. Additionally, the President of the Council of Ministers may apply to the Seym with the motion to recall the Public Prosecutor General before the end of the period which he was appointed for. The article indicates then issues that have to be changed in the new act in order to assure the efficient functioning of the prosecutor’s office.

Competences and tasks of the Prime Minister and the government within security policy

In the article the author has analyzed the public administration competent for security policy, centered under the aegis of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers itself. By reviewing the most important legal acts, and based on texts were included the competences and tasks of the institutions established to protect the life and health of citizens of the Republic of Poland, during the time of warand peace. Leaning at scientific journals author described the main functions of institutions that support government and the prime minister in the security policy. By making analysis and based on the descriptions, author reveals changes in the process of creating of institutions protecting internal and external security together under the umbrella of government activity as executive power.

The government in the political solutions of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia

The article deals with the issue of government in Central and Eastern Europe, understood as one of the executive branch entities, appointed by the representative body, on the example of three countries, the Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. These countries are joined by a common, difficult history, a system of government adopted after 1989, mutual neighborhood, convergent interests. The executive model functioning in these countries sets Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia in the group of states with a parliamentary- cabinet system of government. In addition to the president elected in direct elections, there is a collegial body-government headed by the prime minister. The government with the prime minister is de facto the subject with the greatest resource of power and a fundamental influence on the country’s policy, both in the national and foreign dimensions.

The Constitution provides the possibility of appointing the ministers in two categories – ministers in charge of the government administration department and ministers performing tasks assigned by the President of the Council of Ministers. The conditions for holding the office define the rights and duties of a minister. While analyzing them, it is necessary to highlight those resulting from the fact that ministers are members of the collective executive body as well as those related to the exercise of office. The status of “departmental” ministers and that of ministers without portfolio are equivalent within the cabinet. The Act on the Council of Ministers does not define separate rights, does not impose separate obligations resulting from membership in the Council of Ministers, and the obligations toward the Sejm and its bodies remain the same.

Legislative Aspects of the NRAs’ Status in the Infrastucture Sectors

Ownership and structural changes in the infrastructural sectors of the Polish economy in the last three decades, while maintaining the public interest (art. 22 of the Constitution) and the implementation of the “social” market economy principle (art. 20) of the state’s influence on these sectors, justify the need for a legal and constitutional reflection on the status of activities of regulatory bodies in these sectors. The accession to the European Union has placed said activities on the path of the Union’s integration policies, aimed at “horizontal” integration of the infra-structural sectors of the EU member states. A typical and most commonly used legal tool for implementing EU integration undertakings are sectoral directives of the European Parliament and the Council. The Polish regulatory authorities with their postulated attributes of independence, professionalism and objectivity, have found themselves in the field where two routes of the addressed impacts cross: the EU sectoral integration route and the route of implementation of national policy toward infrastructure sectors (steaming from the Polish Council of Ministers and from relevant ministries). The author, identifying the elements of such use, points out the constitutional and legal uncertainties (even: dilemmas) in regard to the relationship between the Council of Ministers (and the Prime Minister)/relevant ministries and the state sectoral regulatory bodies.

Przedmiotem artykułu jest jedna z instytucjonalnych form kooperacji dwóch podmiotów dualnej egzekutywy w Polsce, czyli instytucja Rady Gabinetowej. Jak stanowi Konstytucja, tworzy ją Rada Ministrów pod przewodnictwem Prezydenta RP. Ustrojodawca wyposażył tym samym głowę państwa w możliwość zwołania spotkania z rządem, który musi stawić się na zaproszenie Prezydenta. Co prawda temu organowi nie przysługują kompetencje Rady Ministrów, jednak można odnieść wrażenie, że rozmowa głowy państwa z rządem to dobra sposobność do wygaszania wzajemnych sporów oraz okazja do rozmowy dwóch politycznych graczy o przyszłości Polski. Czy to wrażenie ma pokrycie w rzeczywistości? Jak wyglądają obrady, co jest ich tematyką i kto im przewodniczy? Jaki może być realny cel obrad? Jakie funkcje może spełniać Rada Gabinetowa w warunkach koabitacji, a jakie przy politycznej jedności obu podmiotów egzekutywy? Celem artykułu jest przede wszystkim znalezienie odpowiedzi na tak postawione pytania.

In search of an optimal model of the Council of Ministers – a hundred years of experience

Since Poland regained independence in 1918, there have been several constitutional acts in force (constitutions and the so-called “small constitutions”). Each of them contained provisions defining the scope of government activity, its structure, the mechanisms of appointing and dismissing cabinet members, as well as the principles of accountability. The paper outlines the way in which these issues have been developing over the past 100 years and to what extent the current solutions constitute the continuation of the solutions of the Constitution of 17 March 1921.

Foreign policy of the Republic of Poland. Considerations in the context of the March constitution and the constitution of 1997

The aim of the study is to analyze the constitutional solutions concerning the conduct of foreign policy by the Republic of Poland. The areas of consideration will include solutions that functioned under the rule of the March constitution, as well as solutions that were enshrined in the binding constitution of 1997. The analysis of the current solutions will also include issues related to European policy. The aim of the article is to present and compare the solutions contained in the March constitution and the constitution of 1997. The solutions functioning under each of the analyzed constitutions assume the primacy of one of the executive authorities in the field of conducting the state’s foreign policy. The analysis of individual solutions in this respect leads to the conclusion that the burden of conducting foreign policy by the president under the March constitution was transferred under the 1997 constitution to the Council of Ministers and the Prime Minister.

Some remarks about the Cabinet reconstrucion in Poland

The article provides the analysis of the current regulations about changing the organisation and composition of the Council of Ministers (Cabinet) in Poland. In light of the Constitution of Poland of 1997, the Prime Minister is responsible for the composition and overall organisation of the Cabinet and the allocation of functions between ministers according to the Branches of Government Administration Bill. In addition, the head of government has a certain margin of discretion in delivering the Cabinet reconstructions and the Machinery of Government changes. The Sejm plays a small role in this matter, however the consent of the parliament is necessary to change the Branches of Government Administration Bill.

The Prosecutor’s Office and the Sejm

Author argues in the article that under the legal status preceding the 2009 amendment to the Act on the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Sejm’s control over the actions of the Minister of Justice – Prosecutor General found a direct basis in the constitutional norm, which entrusts the Sejm with the control over the Council of Ministers. Under the 2009 prosecution model, where the functions of the Prosecutor General and the Minister of Justice were separated, the Prosecutor General, directing the activities of the prosecution service, was an autonomous body in relation to Council of Ministers, President, Sejm and Senate. The reconnection of the functions of the Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General by the 2016 Act gives the Sejm the possibility of parliamentary control of the Prosecutor General. Author indicates the instruments of parliamentary control emphasizing that the Sejm is entitled only to such powers of control that have been clearly defined in the Constitution and laws. Author justifies the thesis that the diversity of the models of functioning of the prosecutor’s office in Poland, as an institution beyond the framework of the classical Montesquieu classification, does not deprive the Sejm of the right to control the prosecutor’s office, which he realizes with the help of diverse means.

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 Constitutional General Guarantee of Equality and Actual Gender Equality in the Polish Council of Ministers in 1989–2019

The objective of the article is to analyze equal access of women and men to positions in the Polish Council of Ministers after 1989. The percentage of women in the Councils of Ministers established between 1989 and 2019 was at the level of 12.55%. Only in the office of Kopacz, the female ratio reached the value of 31.58%, i.e. the level of the so-called critical mass of 30%, which may constitute the threshold of the real influence of women on political decisions. The governments of Morawiecki (1st government) and Szydło were composed of 27% and 25% women, respectively. However, only 13% of women were in the subsequent (2nd) cabinet of Morawiecki. This proves that in the coming years in Poland, the perspective of gender balanced governments, which were created, among others: by the Prime Ministers of Sweden in 2014–2021 and of Canada since 2015, is unlikely to be realized.

Deputy Prime Minister as a Member of the Council of Ministers

The Vice-Presidents are optional members of the Council of Ministers. Their appointment to the government depends on the Prime Minister and also on coalition arrangements. Under the 1997 Constitution, there was no uniform model for the appointment of deputy presidents of the Council of MinistersThe vice-presidents do not have any independent powers. Pursuant to Article 6 of the Act on the Council of Ministers, the Deputy Prime Minister may direct the work of the Cabinet in the event of the absence or temporary inability of the Prime Minister to perform his/her duties. The vice-president performs the tasks and competences within the scope entrusted to and on behalf of the Prime Minister. In the context of membership of the Council of Ministers, their position is equivalent to that of the other members of the government, and to an analogous extent they have duties and may exercise rights.

The Scope of Competences of the President of the Republic of Poland in Matters Related to Poland’s Membership in the European Union

The amendment to the so-called the Cooperation Act granted the President a number of powers related to Poland’s membership in the European Union. In particular, the President was given the opportunity to give binding opinions on candidacies for key positions in the European Union submitted by the Council of Ministers. The article analyzes the provisions of the Constitution regarding the powers of the President and the Council of Ministers in the field of foreign affairs. An attempt was made to answer the question whether the amending act only clarified the provisions of the Constitution regarding the President’s prerogatives or whether it granted him new powers going beyond powers of the head of state, specified in the provisions of the Constitution.