The institutional position and functions of the sejm of the Republic of Poland after the accession to the European Union

The construction of the monograph results from the application of problem criteria. The work consists of the Introduction, seven chapters, and the Conclusion. Moreover, it includes the List of tables and the List of figures, the Appendix and the list of references.

Chapter I is devoted to the analysis of models of the institutional position and functions of national parliaments of the European Union member states. I also presented the principles according to which parliaments in the so-called “old” EU member states and parliaments in the group of the so-called “new” EU member states (accepted in the years 2004–2007) work, which was influenced by the participation in integration processes.

Chapter II discusses the institutional position of the Sejm on the basis of the Constitution of the RP of 2 April 1997 and presents the principles of the participation of national parliaments in the activities of the European Union. It also shows transformations taking place in this sphere. Thanks to it, I was able to reflect more deeply on the behaviour and activity of the Sejm of the RP in the EU practice, as well as to formulate conclusions concerning its future role from the point of view of the institutional reform of the Union system.

Chapters III to IV constitute an important part of the work, and they deal with, respectively, the analysis of the constitution-making, lawmaking, controlling and the creative functions of the Sejm of the RP. In this section, I attempted to evaluate the importance of these functions in the post-accession reality. I presented changes in their contents, scope and execution. I also discussed the problem of the implementation of the EU law, which is a significant aspect of the Sejm’s position in present conditions.

Chapter VII focuses on the deliberations on an important institutional dilemma: has the accession to the European Union led to the emergence of new functions and, thus, has the need arisen for distinguishing them with respect to the Polish Sejm and whether and how the execution of the Sejm’s new tasks in the EU sphere influences its position.

Conclusions resulting from all deliberations, particularly from the research questions posed in the work are summed up in the Conclusion.