The growing number of empirical studies proves the existence of the negative relations between short-term interest rates and the stock prices. It points to permeability of the stock market channel in the monetary policy transmission process; it also proves the strength of the central bank instrument which makes it possible to react to disadvantageous turn of events on financial markets (by providing liquidity, easier access to credit or restoring investors’ trust), or to excessive enthusiasm of investors. This confirms the importance of monetary policy in economic policy and is an argument for more frequent use of monetary tools rather than fiscal tools to affect economy. It mainly corresponds to countries with high and/or growing – decade after decade – public debt, as well as with strong impact of the public finance sector on GDP which limits possibilities and development perspective of respective economies as well as lowers flexibility of fiscal policy and its feature of supporting economic processes that is needed not only in the context of shocks. It would be advised to return to actions that were observed before the financial crisis of 2008 in terms of integrating capital markets in Europe and to intensify them – not only due to obvious advantages of improved effectiveness and attractiveness of the European financial market, but also due to expected strengthening of the stock market channel in the monetary transmission policy process as well as the increased effect of monetary policy on economic processes and their effectiveness.

Experiences related to the global financial crisis of 2008 and to subsequent turbulence in the financial market, and also to threats connected with the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrate the evolution of the aims of the functioning of central banks. The goal of monetary stability, which means attempting to ensure low inflation, has proved insufficient. As a part of building a new architecture of financial regulation and supervision (at international, European, and national level), the mandate of central banks has been strengthened and supplemented with activities aimed at ensuring the stability of the financial system, understood as a state of affairs in which systemic risk does not accumulate. The aim of this article is to analyze the systemic role of the NBP (Polish Central Bank) from the point of view of the contemporary evolution of the role of central banks within the financial safety net.

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.