Institutions and State Authorities of the Republic of Poland Involved in Cross-Border Security

Abstract

Cross-border security is part of both external and internal security of a state; hence the responsibility for it is usually divided. Similarly, the responsibility for Polish border administration is split in both subjective and objective sense. The Constitution of the Republic of Poland in art. 146 indicates that the Council of Ministers, and in particular the Minister of National Defence, the Minister competent for Internal Affairs and the Minister competent for Public Finance shall ensure external and internal security as well as public order in the state. To a lesser extent, the responsibility for state security is also shared by other ministers supervising central administration bodies that have state border protection within their scope.

In addition, very important functions directly or indirectly related to border security are carried out also by voivodes.

In the current paper, the author presents individual institutions and state bodies involved in cross-border security of the Republic of Poland, demonstrating their impact on the overall level of this security.