Freedom of Economic Activity in the  Polish Constitutional Tribunal Judicature

The present publication constitutes an attempt of a sectional overview of the previous jurisdiction of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal on the subject of freedom of economic activity regulated under article 20 and article 22 of the Polish Constitution. Objective analysis begins with the description of double nature of the freedom of economic activity that is interpreted by the Tribunal as a constitutional principle (rule of law) as well as one of the fundamental rights. The presentation concerns itself also with the type of the interrelationship between these two ways of expression of the analysed freedom. Further on, the presentation concentrates on the admissibility of the limitation of the freedom of economic activity. Analysis of the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Tribunal indicates, that the legal limits of the legislator’s interference within the scope of the freedom of economic activity comes out not just as „of important public interest” under article 22 of the Polish Constitution, but also has its basis in article 31 section 3, that formulates the principle of proportionality. The article ends up with an attempt to resume the jurisdiction of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal on the subject of freedom of the economic activity as well as attempts to answer the question if, under jurisdiction of the Constitutional Tribunal, the present freedom has already taken a fully formed shape and meaning.