Suchergebnisse

The creation of the Three Seas Initiative (TSI), the political and economic format for 12 EU countries, is accompanied by a growing interest on the part of world powers and non-EU countries in the region. The aim of the research is to analyse the involvement of three Eastern European countries, namely Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova in projects developed under TSI. The research used a neorealistic approach. These countries belong to the post-Soviet area and, apart from Belarus, show a willingness to cooperate with Western institutions, which arouses a strong reaction from the Russian Federation. The research will result in determining their participation in projects implemented by TSI, including energy, transport, and digital infrastructure. These countries are on the way to working more closely with the Initiative, possibly under the new TSI plus format. The United States supports the expansion of the Three Seas Initiative.

Energy market in EU is changing, for examle: economic crisis, energy consumption is still growing, CO2 emissions problems, costs of clean energy. That's why UE needs good cooperations between all the actors. The EU needs a stable long term strategy to promote the development of the energy sector in 2050. The Polish Presidency will suport this way and suport aspirations of European conutries. Poland started the Presidency in July 2011 (the first country of the Trio, which also includes the Kingdom of Denmark and the Republic of Cyprus). During the 6-month presidency took place a lot of meeting and events. The Polish Presidency for example finalise the negotiations on the Regulation on the Integrity and Transparency of the Energy Market (REMIT), The Presidency adopt also the TTE Council conclusion in november 2011. Polnad also make progress on the Infrastructure Package and Energy Efficiency Acts.

The article is an attempt to summarise the achievements of local government in Poland reactivated in 1990, and the topics discussed in the article focus on development and functioning since 1808 Prussian urban reform, which is the organisational model for contemporary local government units in Europe. Much of the article is also devoted to the functioning of Polish local governments in the 1990s and early 2000s, preceding Poland's accession to the European Union. The issue of the use of pre-accession funds and funds available after 2004 by local governments, which had a significant impact on infrastructure investments in Polish communes, districts and voivodship, was discussed in detail. On the basis of available reports, the article also presents an assessment of the achievements of local government in Poland over thirty years, with its successes and failures. The author also refers to the possibility of using this legacy by local governments of neighbouring countries aspiring to EU membership, mainly Ukraine.

Functioning of the Visegrad Group since its beginning was not an easy issue. V4 was established to integrate East-Central European countries into Euro-Atlantic structures in the atmosphere of cooperation. However, it was a partnership o f countries which in many cases guided by different interests. From the beginning, there was no sympathy inside the Group, but over time it changed. Since joining into the European Union in this cooperation experienced moments of common mobilizing such as: a struggle under the EU Cohesion Policy, the fight for the Union budgets, and the last one position against the welcome of refugees arriving to Europe. It should be noted that properly develop cooperation of Visegrad Group at the elementary level in areas such as: environmental protection, infrastructure, transport and energy projects and tourism. An important new motivation to this cooperation is founded in 2016 EU Battle Group of the Visegrad Group with almost 4 thousand soldiers.

The geopolitical location of Poland in Central Europe determines the role of platform between the countries of Western and Eastern Europe. This location nowadays and very probably access to Eropean Union's structures and the NATO in near future will support the development of economic relations in Eastern Europe and will enable an additional source of income for the country by transit including through the sea ports. To make this development real it's necessary to expand the transport infrastructure for all means of transport because its present weakness is a barrier for goods transportation and it negatively influences the development of the region and the country - it's irrevocable condition of effective transport policy performing to consider the transit policy. The analysis of changes in transit services realization in Polish ports makes conclude that the transport and transit policy is inefficacious or even there's no such a policy. The statistical data show that the turnover broke down in 1991. The evident transit decreasing in railway transport and inland shipping caused by modification of Polish geopolitical location, economic transformation process in Central Europe, the fall of Soviet Union and Council for Mutual Economic Aid had the unprofitable effect on reloading of goods and transit reloading in Polish ports in the years 1991-96. After 1991, the Ukrainian and Belarusan transit determined by geopolitical factors has appeared. After independence regaining by Ukraine this country faced with the problem of reconstructing transport connections with foreign countries, especially in the direction: Odessa - Gdańsk and Gdynia. The substantially important for Polish- Ukrainian co-operation will be constructing of the transport track linking ports of Black Sea via Lvov and Lublin to ports of Gdańsk Bay: "Via Intermare". This assignment will enable to increase activity of regions crossed by the track and also will strengthen economic relations between Poland and Ukraine. The economic crisis in Central Europe caused not only transit decreasing but also competition among the transit countries. In this competition Poland is rather weak competitor because of insufficient transport infrastructure. Also teh changes of geopolitical location highly influenced the amount and directions of cargoes reloaded in Polish ports. These negative processes are a result of lack of univocally defined aims and instruments of the transit policy. ; Marcin Polom

The Elbe/Oder Chamber Union (KEO) is a consortium of German, Polish and Czech chambers of industry and commerce, which has set itself the goal of jointly representing the interests of companies in the region at a national and European level. In 2010, 37.6 million people lived in the represented region, representing a market share of 7.5% of the EU population. The gross domestic product of the KEO region in 2008 was 716.6 billion Euros, equal to 5.7% of the total EU GDP. Despite the overall strength of the region, there are pronounced differences within each member state which can be addressed and equalized through joint cooperation. Also, as both foreign and interregional trade is increasing in the KEO area, it is important that member states focus on their core competencies and, through doing so, work together towards an economically viable future. Many policy areas have been identified in order to strengthen the competitiveness of these regions, among them the development of research capabilities, the reduction of transaction costs for cross-border activities and the qualitative and quantitative improvement of the transport infrastructure are particularly relevant.

President's bill on cooperation in local government for local and regional development and on amendments to certain laws presupposes the introduction of new forms of cooperation between local government units. These include associations and committees of local activity, teams of territorial cooperation conventions of the local government delegates at the province. Submitted proposals for new forms of cooperation of local government units should be assessed as interesting and innovative at the same time. Residents of local communities are expected even more than they were a dozen years ago to modernize the infrastructure, increase efforts to protect the environment, ensure public safety and order, as well as to guarantee a stable system of health care and education. Only municipalities that are financially and organizationally strong and that cooperate with each other will be raised by counties to better positions which consequently means development of the whole province. The recently adopted EU budget for 2014-2020 may give us the last such opportunity to use EU funds even further for development of our local and regional communities. ; Artykuł nie zawiera abstraktu w języku polskim

The main research objective of the presented study is to analyse, in accordance with selected theoretical and methodological assumptions, the main challenges of international energy security. This will be possible thanks to a comprehensive analysis in the explanatory and predictive dimension. Analyses of energy security issues take into account long-term development trends as well as unpredictable events related to the functioning of infrastructure and energy technology. Thus, unexpected, sudden phenomena resulting from the dynamics of the international environment gain in importance. The energy security policy has been narrowly defined so far, and thus the issue of thinking in terms of various development opportunities in the raw materials industry is often overlooked. The dilemma related to "non-linear" thinking often ignores a variety of solutions that, taken together, can cause a radical turn in the energy market and its evolution. The methodological framework of the conducted research included research methods appropriate to the science of international relations. The factor method was useful in identifying the determinants of energy security redefinition in the contemporary world. The prognostic analysis turned out to be helpful in the part of the thesis on the prospects for the development of energy security.

Access to energy resources has become one of the main challenges of energy security in the modern world. Due to the growing political instability of countries exporting energy resources, the energy security category should be perceived in a special way. Energy security is expressed, first of all, in stable access to energy resources at an acceptable price. The aim of the article is to determine to what extent the strategy of diversifying the sources of crude oil imports to Poland and Belarus is implemented in practice, and to what extent the implementation of this strategy is conducive to building energy security for both these countries. It seems that despite the similar geological and geographical conditions, as well as the common historical infrastructure heritage, Poland and Belarus shape their energy policy differently. The conducted analysis has an empirical dimension, as the REES index is used to measure the concentration of imports and the short-term risk for the security of crude oil supplies. The article shows that a properly implemented diversification strategy significantly improves the country's energy security, which is possible due to the use of alternative directions for oil imports to the Russian one.

In this analysis, the Turkish Stream pipeline project infrastructure will be presented.We will concentrate on the gas transportation route from Russia to the Turkish energy market and then to the Southern European states. The Russian Federation, as the main exporter of the energy resources in the global scale, is interested to restore its strategic position in its relations with Turkey and the Southern European states. Such policy is corresponding with Turkish aspirations, to be much more influential in the region. Therefore, the joint strategic energy project will combine the interests of Russia and Turkey and will be important for both countries in terms of strengthening their position not only in the energy market, but also in the geostrategic dimension. ; Przedmiotem analizy artykułu jest budowa Turkish Stream, gazociągu eksportowego z Rosji, który będzie docierał na rynek energetyczny Turcji, a następnie ma przekroczyć granicę tego państwa z Grecją i kierować się do Europy Południowej. Działania Federacji Rosyjskiej demonstrują chęć odzyskania strategicznej pozycji w relacjach z T urcją i państwami Europy Południowej kosztem Unii Europejskiej. Propozycje Rosji są zgodne z polityką Turcji, która dąży do wzmocnienia swojej roli w regionie. Wspólny strategiczny projekt energetyczny połączy znacząco interesy Rosji i Turcji pomimo wielu sprzeczności oraz zwiększy znaczenie tych państw nie tylko w wymiarze energetycznym, lecz także geostrategicznym.

Citizen participation is becoming an important element of self-government practice in Poland. One of the tools supporting the process of involving residents in local government matters is participatory budgeting. Its fundamental importance is to provide residents of local government units with the possibility of deciding on the allocation of some budget expenses, in particular those relating to infrastructure investments. Participatory budgeting is one of the most effective citizen practices aimed at involving residents in managing their cities. However, it can be a tool or a single project and a part of a thorough, long-term, and comprehensive reform of urban policy, based on the city's administrative reform. Citizen engagement is also seen as an instrument of state effectiveness. When citizens can meet their needs and hold public institutions accountable, public money is likely to be used more efficiently to deliver public goods and services that are better suited to citizens' needs. Recognition of the potential of citizen involvement in public affairs is widespread. The aim of the article is to present the concept and genesis of citizen participation as well as to analyze and compare the completed editions of the Zielona Góra Participatory Budgeting in 20132020. A particular attention was paid to the types of winning tasks and the principles of budget implementation.

This study considers signal interference as a form of non-kinetic warfare against unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The practical purpose of this paper is to organize the theoretical knowledge and terminology concerning interference, while its cognitive purpose is to demonstrate that this recently recognized problem is a real threat to the safe use of unmanned aircraft systems. The research methods employed in this work – analysis, synthesis, abstracting and generalization – serve to determine the types of interference (i.e. primarily jamming and spoofing) and their characteristics in relation to unmanned aircraft. The paper organizes the theoretical knowledge by explaining the signal interference techniques and indicating the targets of attacks or objects of interest. Therefore, available non-kinetic energy UAS neutralization systems are analyzed with respect to their capabilities, tactical characteristics and technical specifications. Given the anticipated further development of unmanned aircraft systems technologies, signal interference carries serious implications for the safety of autonomous operation of these systems. The second important conclusion highlighted in this analysis is the absence of a legislative framework that would regulate the use of interference facilities. This gap in legal regulations implicitly permits their engagement against such crucial infrastructure as e.g. satellite devices for navigation systems – standard and critical equipment in the aviation.

Local Government in Poland Before and After its Accession to the European Union. The Use of EU Funds by Local Government Units as Exemplified by Podkarpackie VoivodeshipThe local government has been part of the Polish political system since 1990. The key moments in the transformation of the organisation in the country were the adoption in 1999 of a three-tier territorial division in 1999 and the entrance into force of the 2002 Act on the direct election of mayors and governors. The local government is a form of participation of citizens in shaping – public collective life at local and regional levels.The purpose of this article is to present a the changes in the functioning of the local government after Poland's accession to the European Union and to present the impact of EU funds on development of local government units. Thanks to EU funds a num- ber of projects have been implemented aimed at improving skills, social integration and employment as well as improving the competitiveness and innovation of Polish enterprises. Particular attention should be paid to the impact of EU funds on regional development and the construction of modern infrastructure in local government units. Development of individual local government units translates directly into improved living standards and the development of the Polish state.

The problem of shaping the security designates one of the most important tasks facing the state nowadays. The key role in constituting and maintaining an adequate level of security of the state plays a strategy and national policy on the field of leadership, efficient organization of crisis management system or the elimination of internal and external threats. Knowledge about the essence of the state security sets the scope of self-determination of citizens with reference to their basic existential needs and requirements, as well as national values. The implementation of these requirements is generally understood as protection of life and health, timeless ethical values, property and environment, as well as state institutions against threats from the forces of nature and human activities. Neutralizing these threats must be a priority of the state, since the proper management of security leads to the survival of current and future generations of Poles and ensures proper living conditions and development. Creation of a superior, integrated plans of defense of life and human health and the protection of national infrastructure is of a great importance for the security of the country. The focus on the utilization of full potential of both the state and local authorities and commercial protection establishments also becomes the most valuable

The goal of this article is to outline and to analyse the key challenges to be faced by the Polish energy market, as it is only at the beginning of the energy transition process. The dynamics of energy policy adaptation process to the challenges of the energy security dimensions, in the face of the energy and climate policy set by the European Union and the expected transformation goals, may cause the growth of the energy security deficit both on a national and regional scale. Given the centralized model of energy infrastructure management, reliance of domestic generation capacity on conventional sources and insufficient development of cross-border networks, Poland is particularly exposed to a security deficit related to the transformation of its energy system, which may also negatively affect other countries in the East- Central Europe region. Using program documents and sector analyses, the article analyses possible strategies for ensuring energy security, setting the issues in the context of the specificity of the Polish energy sector and opportunities for development of regional cooperation between Central and Eastern European countries. As a result, the article reveals an assessment which shows an insufficient recognition by Poland both the external and internal factors determining the pace and direction of energy modernization, as well as a failure to adapt energy policy objectives to the specifics of low-carbon energy sources and the potential provided for by regional energy markets.