Poland Unitary state
| POLAND | / HISTORY |
History and trends
Poland is a semi-presidential Republic. Its Constitution was adopted on 25 May 1997.
Poland has been a European Union Member State since 1 May 2004. The country has been shaped by a series of historical events. In the aftermath of World War I, the Treaty of Versailles restored Poland’s western border to its 1772 position, but Danzig was established as a “free city” at the end of the 70 km-wide corridor, giving Poland access to the sea. The newly restored territory has an area of 389,000 km2 and a population of 27 million. Its borders are difficult to defend and do not encompass all Polish peoples, while other national minorities (Ukrainians, Belarusians, Germans and Jews) make up one-third of the population.
Poland declared independence and became a republic in 1918. On 1 September 1939, following the signature of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Nazi Germany invaded Poland – the event that triggered World War II. The territory was the scene of ongoing conflict between the Nazis and the Soviet Union throughout the war.
After the end of World War II, Poland’s borders were set at the Yalta Conference (11 February 1945) – on the Oder-Neisse Line to the west and the Curzon Line to the east – and proposals were floated for democratic government. In 1952, the Republic of Poland was renamed the Polish People’s Republic. Post-war Poland was a USSR satellite state.
The communist government collapsed in 1989 and Poland once again became a parliamentary republic. It became a member of NATO before later joining the EU.
Decentralisation began in Poland in 1990 when local self-government was reinstated and the first municipal elections were held. Local government reforms entered into force on 1 January 1999, modernising the state apparatus. The aim was to achieve more efficient local government, particularly in terms of public finance management, and to prepare for accession to the EU by reforming the local government landscape.
The reforms introduced a three-tier system of local government:
- Municipalities (gminy)
- Counties (powiaty)
- Regions (voivodship-województwo).
Local level:
The municipalities are the most decentralised level of local government. They are led by a municipal council and chaired by the mayor.
They manage all local public goods and implement all policies that are not the preserve of other local government entities.
As such, they enjoy extensive powers on matters of public order and fire and rescue, land-use planning, environmental protection, green spaces, municipal roads and road traffic, sewerage and waste management, local public transport, social care, social housing (housing construction and management), and education (nursery and primary schools).
In addition, they have powers devolved from the government on civil registry, supervision of individuals, and auctioning of state property. The municipalities may delegate especially complex tasks to the counties, while the counties may delegate certain tasks to the municipalities.
Intermediary level:
The counties (powiaty) are local government entities with a population of around 100,000. There are 380 counties in total, and 66 Polish towns and cities act both as municipalities and counties. Seven new counties were created in March 2002.
The county is led by a county council and an executive board, headed by the head of the county.
The counties are the intermediate tier of local government between the regions and the municipalities. They assist the municipalities with some tasks, and perform other, more complex tasks on their behalf.
By virtue of their status, the counties may take on various tasks that were previously delegated to the regions. As such, they have extensive yet specific powers.
The counties play a supplementary role in public service delivery that falls outside the strict remit of a medium-sized commune, based on the principle of subsidiarity.
They perform supra-municipal public tasks as determined by law in the following areas: public education (secondary education), social care, public health and veterinary inspection, family policy, disability support, transport and roads, land-use and town planning, land registry, agriculture, fisheries and forestry, employment and local labour market revitalisation, and civil protection.
Regional level:
The regions (voivodship-województwo) are Poland’s largest local government entities, numbering 16 in total. The regions are led by a regional council (the legislative body) and a regional executive board, headed by a marshal.
The regions’ powers often cover both those powers enjoyed by the municipalities and, to a certain extent, by the counties.
The regions are politically independent and receive financial support from various aid and cooperation programmes. They have a significant impact on local policy, notably because of their large budgets and their influential position in international cooperation.
They are the lead managers of a variety of programmes and the first point of contact for potential investors.
The regions set a regional development strategy that emphasises the local and national identity and focuses on driving entrepreneurship and innovation, protecting natural and cultural heritage, and creating a “harmonious spatial order”.
They do so chiefly by implementing programmes with the following aims: growing the economy and creating jobs, improving infrastructure and promoting new technologies, taking action to boost citizens’ skills and level of education, and preserving and promoting cultural and natural heritage.
The regions have extensive powers but are also bound by the principle of subsidiarity. These powers are laid down by law, are necessarily regional in nature and cover a wide range of areas: education (mainly higher education), social care, family policy, health, consumer protection, land-use planning, water management, environmental protection, cultural policy, tourism, public safety and defence, transport, employment and labour market revitalisation.
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Key reforms:
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