The situation of local and regional democracy in Poland has changed significantly over the past years: formerly one of the “top ten” countries in the EU, in terms of the level of local autonomy, Poland now shows “alarming trends”. These are among the key findings of the report and recommendation on local and regional democracy in Poland, adopted today by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
“The principle of local self-government is recognised both by the Constitution and the domestic legislation,” noted with satisfaction one of the rapporteurs, David BARO RIBA, Andorra, pointing out that in Poland the European Charter of Local Self-Government benefits from “a quasi-constitutional status”. Among other positive developments, the Congress rapporteurs highlighted the freedom of association enjoyed by local authorities and the special status accorded to the capital city Warsaw.
