POLISH COMMUNE AND INTERNATIONAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT STANDARDS (THE LAST 25 YEARS – IN OUTLINE)

The article presents the lowest level of local government – a commune – against the background of international local government standards formulated by such organizations as the Council of Europe, UNDP, OECD, the World Bank, the European Union. Firstly, the evolution of these standards is presented – starting from European Charter of Local Self-Government, through European Charter of Local Self-Government, ending with The Strategy for Innovation and Good Governance at Local Level and European Governance. Then, the range of implementation of these principles in Polish local government is analyzed. It can be determined that external influence in the form of international standards has been one of the key factors shaping the Polish self-government in the last 25 years.