Przedmiotem artykułu jest problematyka zagrożenia biologicznego w państwach członkowskich Unii Europejskiej, jakim jest wirus Afrykańskiego Pomoru Świń (ASF). Celem było określenie roli Europejskiego Urzędu ds. Bezpieczeństwa Żywności (EFSA) w procesie analizy ryzyk biologicznych oraz wskazanie funkcji, jakie pełni w systemie instytucjonalnym UE. Postawiono hipotezę badawczą: rekomendacje wydawane w opiniach naukowych publikowanych przez EFSA są podstawą decyzji wykonawczych Komisji Europejskiej. Korespondują z nią pytania badawcze: Jaka jest skala zagrożeń związanych z wirusem ASF? Jakie kompetencje ma EFSA w procesie analizy ryzyk biologicznych? Jak ewoluowało podejście EFSA, co do zalecanych narzędzi zarządzania ryzykiem związanym z wirusem ASF? Kiedy i w jakich przypadkach EFSA podejmuje badania naukowe dotyczące ASF? W opracowaniu wykorzystano metodę case study oraz posłużono się techniką desk research.

The current study assumes that the notion of sustainable development, typical for the discourse on environmental protection, can be also applied to political research and indicates that institutions play a very important role in the process of creating and maintaining the balance of the political system, the aim of which is to build sustainable relations between different participants in its space. The European Union, which seems to feature characteristics of a hybrid organization and displays strong tendency to increase complexity, is examined. The EU institutions have a very important and often difficult role to play in sustaining intergovernmental and supranational influence and therefore often find themselves in contradictory situations. The intersecting efforts to deepen integration and at the same time the need to protect sovereignty do not allow for straightforward achievement of sustainable development of the integration system. Therefore, a distinctive feature of this system is the maintaining of sustainability rather than the actual achievement of sustainable development.

Osiągnięcie wysokiego poziomu bezpieczeństwa wewnętrznego jest jednym z priorytetów Unii Europejskiej. Politykę bezpieczeństwa wewnętrznego UE realizuje, dbając o przestrzeń wolności, bezpieczeństwa i sprawiedliwości. Wobec kryzysu migracyjnego, który trwa już od wielu lat, a obecnie ma nowe oblicze, przed UE pojawiają się nowe wyzwania. UE musi zacieśnić współpracę na wielu poziomach tak, by zapewnić jak najwyższy poziom bezpieczeństwa. Agencje UE wspomagające współpracę w bezpieczeństwie wewnętrznym angażują się w walkę z efektami kryzysu migracyjnego i wspierają siły państwowe przy ochronie granic. Rolę jednej z nich –Europolu – oraz działającego w jego ramach Europejskiego Centrum Zwalczania Przemytu Migrantów – EMSC warto poruszyć w aspekcie rozważań nad współpracą w bezpieczeństwie wewnętrznym. Odpowiedź na kryzys migracyjny musi być bardziej kompleksowa i brać pod uwagę potrzeby zarówno migrantów, jak i państw przyjmujących czy tranzytowych.

Poland’s membership in the European Union as a premise for possible changes to the Constitution of the Republic of Poland

The analysis addresses the problem of the extent to which the consequences of Poland’s membership in the European Union should be reflected in the Constitution of the Republic of Poland. The Polish Basic Law, in Art. 90, anticipated Poland’s membership in the EU. However, despite the attempts made, it was not possible – apart from the constitutionalization of the European Arrest Warrant – to introduce changes to the constitution resulting from EU membership. There are a number of regulatory gaps that deserve to be filled even if it is not possible to reach an agreement at the level of 2/3 of the support in the Sejm on the issue of a comprehensive „European clause”. The jurisprudence of the Constitutional Tribunal should not replace the constitution-maker. It is necessary for the constitution to fulfill its legal, political and educational function.

The Treaty of Lisbon strengthened the legal position of national parliaments in their activities at the level of the European Union. It means that the two chambers of the Polish Parliament - Sejm and Senate, each in its own scope, participate in consideration of issues concerning the European Union. They must share the right to participate in legislative processes with the executive authorities at the national level and with the institutions of the Union. The new legal regulation provides national parliaments with new competences, which should have a constitutional basis.

Evolution of Health Rights in the European Union in the Prism of Human Rights

As an economic and political union of states, the European Union has historically focused neither on health nor on human rights. Since the adoption of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the link between fundamental rights and human health has been noticeable. Respect for human dignity and individual decisions played an important role in the evolution of the understanding of the right to health as a human right in the EU legal system. The aim of the article is to analyze the development of health rights in EU law and answer the question: does recognizing the right to health as a human right result in a specific legal claim? The article uses a purposeful-functional and axiological interpretation, and the historical method.

The European Union towards the arm conflicts and socio-political changes in the MENA region in the 20th and 21st centuries

The countries of the Middle East and North Africa are one of the main areas of interest of the European Union, and the main determinants of mutual relations are primarily the economy and security policy. The aim of the article is to show how the position of the European Union is shaped in relation to the main challenges and threats in this region, to which the Israeli-Arabic conflict, the Palestinian issue and the so-called Arab Spring, as well as the escalation of the conflict in Syria and the problem of international terrorism.

The European Union policies in the area of combating terrorism

The subject of this dissertation is the European Union policies in the area of combating terrorism. The fact that terrorism is regarded as being one of the biggest threats to European Security determined the choice of the subject. The author has tried to explain the terminology applying to terrorism, the history of terrorism, and present methods of fight against it. The objective of the article is the analysis of the European Union main actions taken and decisions made in this respect. One of many determinants that influenced tightening of this policy were the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the USA on 11 September 2001. Also, frequent terrorist attacks forced the European Union member states constant cooperation and continued efforts regarding actions to counter terrorism which is both social and political phenomenon.

EU – Ukraine: Around Kiev’s European Aspirations. Selected Aspects from a German Perspective

The goals of the article are to discuss Ukraine’s aspirations for rapprochement with the European Union, especially after the „Orange Revolution” in 2004, and in the context of the conflict with Russia over Crimea and eastern Ukraine that began in 2014. In addition, to outline of Germany’s position toward the conflict and Ukraine’s relations with the EU. The author attempts to resolve the problem of Ukraine’s chances of joining the Union in a predictable perspective. First of all, scientific and press publications, as well as European Union documents were used.

Brexit Negotiation Process in David Cameron and Theresa May’s Policy

Great Britain’s decision to leave the European Union (aka Brexit) is one of the most significant events in the history of European integration. It is also the first event in the history of the Community, yet not the only one proposed by the UK government. This article aims at the analysis of political activity of British Prime Ministers: David Cameron and Theresa May related to the United Kingdom’s leaving the European Union structures. British Government’s decision was taken after the referendum, which was held on June 23, 2016, followed by invoking Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty. Consequences of Brexit are highly dependent on the results of negotiations, although most definitely they will have political, economic and social implications. The most important conclusions are contained in the summary.

In mid-October 2019, the European Commission presented a report on the implementation of European Agenda on Migration of 2015 and indicated the areas that require further action mainly related to irregular migration, smuggling of migrants and trafficking. The EC emphasized that only by joining forces of all member states the European Union will be able to fight effectively and humanely with these problems. Irregular migration has become one of the EU most important problems since the 1990s, and the growing number of irregular migrants evoked the feeling that a single state is unable to control people arriving on its territory. The Europeans are terrified of the scale of migration. Conflicts and antagonisms between the local population and the rapidly growing number of migrants have begun to increase. The research goal of the article is to analyze the implementation of the 2015 European Agenda on Migration.

Liberal or illiberal? Perception of Israeli democracy in the European Union

Liberal democracy perspective dominates the perception of actors and partners in the foreign relations of European Union. This stems from the declared fundamental values of the Union: respect for human dignity and human rights, freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law. This also influences the judgment of Israel, who connected to the EU with cooperation but also criticised for its attitude towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Liberal democracies not only allow their citizens to exercise their right to vote but also guarantee a degree of protection from the state to all political life participants, maintain plurality, respect religious, ethnic and other minorities. Israel presents itself as a liberal democracy, therefore it seems important to verify if this view is shared by the European Union. The Union, member states and politicians in their documents or during the debates judge such aspects of Israeli politics as the occupation of West Bank, Golan Heights and East Jerusalem, settlements in the occupied territories, policies towards minorities, non-government organizations, oftentimes taking a critical stance towards Israeli actions. This may indicate that, despite Israel being a close political and economical partner, it still does not comply with the fundamental values and leaves something to be desired.

The analysis aims to reconstruct, explain and evaluate the position of the Polish government on the essential elements of the EU migration and asylum policy proposed by the European Commission in the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. Thus, the article discusses the potential priorities and objectives of the EU migration and asylum policy from the point of view of the Polish government, articulated both during the ongoing work on the EC document (2018–2020) and after its publication in September 2020. However, the article is not intended to present the Polish government’s position on the particular, detailed solutions contained in the legislative proposals of the EC due to the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. Although, it allows identifying what the Polish side considers desirable, tolerable and acceptable, and what is utterly unacceptable in terms of the proposed changes to EU migration and asylum policy. Therefore, the main priorities of the Polish government regarding the reformed policy are indicated and explained. The first two concern counteracting irregular immigration by enhancing the protection of external borders and intensifying cooperation with third countries (in particular as concerns readmissions and returns), which means approving the postulates of the EC. At the same time, the third priority opposes the EC’s proposal addressing asylum issues.

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 the analysis of the United Kingdom’s foreign policy after its withdrawal from the European Union, which finally took place on February 1, 2020. Brexit made it necessary to redefine British foreign policy, including modification of the strategy aimed not only at maintaining but even strengthening the global position of the United Kingdom. A key element of this new strategy seems to be the strengthening of the US-British alliance, traditionally referred to as the Special Relationship. The author tries to prove the thesis that for the British government, reinforcing the cooperation with the United States is one of the most important ways to counteract the negative effects of Brexit. The experience so far shows, however, that it is not so easy, because after leaving the European Union, the United Kingdom has become for the United States, for many reasons, an increasingly less attractive partner.

The main consequence of rapidly progressing globalization is the strengthening of new, dynamically developing economies. The paper includes the author’s reflections on the European Union’s strategy for the Indo-Pacific region, which is responsible for 60% of global GDP and 2/3 of global economic growth. As a result, this makes that neighborhood an area of conflicting interests and rivalry between the economically strongest state entities. Despite the relatively late involvement of other foreign players in the region, the European Union is also trying to strengthen its position in this area. On September 16, 2021, the “EU Cooperation Strategy in the Indo-Pacific Region” was established. The author of the paper will try to answer two main research questions: (1) What influences the shape of the European strategy towards the Indo-Pacific region? and (2) What obstacles does the European Union face in the process of shaping its relations with representatives of this region?

The European Union and the Eurasian Union: legal mechanism of cooperation and the problems of establishing

The paper takes a close look at the concept of establishing the Eurasian Union – a political and economic community modeled after the European Union. The author of the article shows the impact of Kazakhstan on the integration process of other countries participating in the establishment of this community: Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Tacgicastan. The author also describes institutionalized forms of cooperation on which the functioning of the Eurasian Union is to be based.

EU member states: a new paradigm of sovereignty? An outline of the issue

Political and economic integration of countries taking place within the European Union leads to the modification of certain traditional features of the state’s sovereignty, such as, for example, exclusive judiciary competence within the state’s territory or independent financial, budget and fiscal policy. This calls for the analysis whether, and if so, to what extent, being the EU member state influences the country’s sovereignty. There are two contrasting views regarding this matter: some theoreticians claim that this integration limits or even eliminates the country’s sovereignty, while others argue that countries retain their sovereignty, and integration is the manifestation of sovereignty. The aim of the article is to reflect on these theories in the context of a new paradigm of EU member states’s sovereignty, which takes into account new relations between such agents as an individual, society, nation, or state.

The concept of terrorism raises serious disputes and doubts. Difficulty in defining the phenomenon of terrorism is the problem of distinguishing terrorist activities from acts committed by madmen or criminals. The considerations taken in the text concentrate on the searching for the answer to the question: is it possible to construct a commonly accepted definition of terrorism? It was necessary to refer the perception of terrorism and show the scientific approach to terrorism as a phenomenon present in the modern societies.

Children separated from their families who are seeking international protection are in a threefold jeopardize: as minors, as refugees, and as persons deprived of their protectors. They need prompt and comprehensive protection not only during asylum procedures but also in all aspects of life normally provided by parents, such as but not being limited to: shelter, food, medical care and education. This article aims to examine and evaluate the recommendations and guidelines pertinent to the unaccompanied children as adopted at international level by the international organizations (UN with special regard to UNHCR and UNICEF, the Council of Europe and the European Union), intergovernmental organization (the International Committee of the Red Cross) and specialized NGOs (eg. Save the Children) and, subsequently, to reconstruct a recommended standard of treatment of the separated children in the course of asylum proceedings. The result of said examination and evaluation are model rules of treatment of separated minor aliens applying for a refugee status in the European countries. It encompasses the following provisions: 1) adoption of sufficiently wide and flexible interpretation of prerequisites required for being granted a refugee status, with special regard to additional factors such as age and special forms of child prosecution; 2) appointment of a legal representative for a separated child in asylum procedure; 3) adoption of appropriate hearing procedures suitable for age of the applicant; 4) introduction of facilitations in asylum proceedings and liberalization of the evidence requirements, including the principle of the benefit of doubt; 5) assertion of an effective right to participate in asylum procedure; 6) to prioritize the applications regarding the separated children; 7) a proper training of persons dealing with the separated children seeking international protection and their applications. The review of the laws and practice of the European countries enables the Author to indicate the main problems with implementation of the international standard of treatment of the separated children and to assess the relevant provisions of the amended Act of 13 June 2003 on granting protection to aliens within the territory of the Republic of Poland.