THE IDEA OF REGION AND THE TASKS OF A PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT IN POLAND AGAINST THE EUROPEAN BACKGROUND

The contemporary idea of a self-government administrative unit in Poland (named a „self-govemment province” by the legislator) results from many years of debates over the possibility to build democratic local authorities of this level with reference to the national traditions and the western European models. The Polish regional reform has gained in significance in the recent years as the role of the regions has grown significantly both within the particular member states and in Europe as a whole. Quoting the provisions of the Polish Constitution and the relevant parliamentary acts, the Author discusses the Polish regional reform and the particular provisions regulating the creation and work of the local authorities, comparing them to the systems already existing in the Western Europe. In this discussion the Author quotes above all the provisions of the European Charter of Local Self-Government and the European Charter of Regional Self-Government passed by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in Europe in June 1997