Sovereignty and the european integration process

Sovereignty has always been a very difficult and equivocal issue in political debates on national identity of the states, particularly in the international integration process. The understanding of the notion “sovereignty” has been evolving constantly since the Ancient Greeks. The article presents the evolution of the conception of sovereignty throughout the centuries as well as the present value of that notion. Nowadays, sovereignty of the states is one of the most important notions of the international law, and cannot be confined by any external factor. But according to the national governments, as well as to the public opinion, the independence and freedom of executing the state authority over its territory and citizens is limited by the powers of European Communities. At the beginning of XXI century the debate on the national identity and the sovereignty seems more urgent and important than ever before. The reluctance to transfer the state authority to the European level is the most significant restraint of the further integration. Therefore, the aim of the article was to present the most important issues concerning the debate on sovereignty in the European integration process and to explain the different points of views. The article also presents the particular polish apprehensions concerning the possible restrictions of sovereignty after the accession to EU.Zadanie pt. „Digitalizacja i udostępnienie w Cyfrowym Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego kolekcji czasopism naukowych wydawanych przez Uniwersytet Łódzki” nr 885/P-DUN/2014 zostało dofinansowane ze środków MNiSW w ramach działalności upowszechniającej naukę