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According to the Constitution, the Council of Ministers is responsible for conductingto conductconducting Polish foreign policy. This includes ensuring external security of the state and exercising general control in the field of relations with other states and international organizations. The person directlydirectlydirectly responsible for the coordination of foreign policy in the government is the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Minister is assistedto assistassisted by foreign service, i.e. officials and diplomats working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Warsaw and diplomatic missions abroad.

The President of the Republic of Poland is also an important body implementing foreign policy. According to the Constitution, the President represents the state in external relations (he is “the supreme representative of the Republic of Poland”), guarantees the continuity of state power, safeguards the sovereignty and security of our country and the inviolability and integrity of its territory. In the field of foreign policy the President cooperates with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. His main competence is ratifying and renouncing international agreements.

The role of Poland in the world in the last 25 years has changed significantly. Before 1989 Poland was a socialist state, non‑sovereign in international relations, violating basic civil rights and freedoms, with a centrally managed economycentrally managed economycentrally managed economy. After the transition of 1989 Poland became a democratic country, sovereign in international relations, observing the rule of law, with a market economymarket economymarket economy. We are currently the member of the most important global and regional international organizations of an economic, political and military character. We participate in numerous peace operations. We have orderlyorderlyorderly relationships with our nearest neighbors, we are perceivedto be perceivedperceived as a stablestablestable and predictablepredictablepredictable partner.

In 1989 after regainingto regainregaining the sovereignty and independence from the Eastern Bloc, above all the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the most important goals of the new Polish foreign policy included:

• becoming a part of the European security system by developing cooperation with European communities,

• developing cooperation with the closest neighbors: Germany in the West, and the states created after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the East,

• creating new regional tiesregional tiesregional ties, especially in relations between the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary,

• development of political, economic and cultural cooperation with the countries of Western Europe and the United States.

The strategic goal of Poland in the early 1990s was membership in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. These organizations were able to provide Poland withto provide withto provide Poland with military and economic security. In relations with our eastern neighbors, the main issues at the beginning of the 1990s were: the withdrawalwithdrawalwithdrawal of Soviet troops from Poland and the establishment of relations with the states formed after the collapse of the USSR. On the anniversary of the Soviet aggression on Poland, on September 17, 1993, the last group of Russian soldiers left the territory of our country. Since the beginning of the 1990s, Poland has recognized the United States as a strategic partner. Our country maintainsto maintainmaintains relations with this country in the sphere ofin the sphere ofin the sphere of economy, promotion of democracy and, through NATO, in the area of security.

Polish membership in international organisations

Poland is currently a member of the most important international organisations of a universal nature (open to members from all regions of the world) and regional ones (which can be accessed only by countries from a specific region of the world, e.g. Europe). The Republic of Poland belongs to several dozen governmental organisations. It also cooperates within other structures, such as the Visegrad Group (association of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary). Poland is also a founding memberfounding memberfounding member of the United Nations (UN) and has joined a number of specialized agencies that are part of the United Nations system.

From the very beginning, Poland actively participated in the meetings of the Conference on Security and Co‑operation in Europe (CSCE). To date, the Organization for Security and Co‑operation in Europe (OSCE), which is a continuation of the CSCE, remains an important element of European security for Poland.

Since 1989, Poland has begun to seekto seekseek membership in organizations previously gatheringto gathergathering only Western European countries. The first organisation that opened to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe was the Council of Europe. Poland’s accession to the Council of Europe (1991) meant that our country was recognised as a democratic state, respectful of the rule of law and human rights. In 1993, the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms – the most important document of the Council of Europe on human rights – became applicableto become applicablebecame applicable to Poland. This gave Poles the opportunity to lodge complaintsto lodge complaintsto lodge complaints to the European Court of Human Rights.

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Zdjęcie przedstawia pojazd opancerzony, na którego boku znajduje się polska flaga. Na tyle pojazdu jest tabliczka z arabskim napisem. Obok pojazdu stoi jeden żołnierz w pełnym uzbrojeniu, w ręku trzyma broń. Drugi znajduje się na wieżyczce pojazdu. Pojazd na boku wyrysowaną ma biało-czerwoną flagę. Obok niej znajduje się napis "CIMIC". Pojazd pomalowany jest barwy obowiązującego na terenach pustynnych kamuflażu.

Poland also sought to join the most important economic, political and military organisations. The strategic goal was membership in the European Union and NATO. We received the status of a full member of the EU on 1 May, 2004, and NATO – on 12 March, 1999. Poland participates in peacekeeping operations of the United Nations, the European Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and NATO. The nature of the tasks entrustedentrustedentrusted to Polish soldiers is very diversediversediverse: from control and observation, through logistics, to sapper trainings or securing contingents. Considering the number of soldiers and missions in which our country participated, Poland is the most involved of all European countries.

Poland is a country that has clearly defined foreign policy goals and is able to persistentlypersistentlypersistently pursue these goals.

Keywords

foreign policy, Minister of Foreign Affairs, external security, foreign service, diplomatic mission, embassy, consulate, inviolability/integrity of territory, ratifying and renouncing international agreements, visa, sovereignty, international organization, peace operation, regional ties, European Union, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Council of Europe, European Court of Human Rights, Organization for Security and Co‑operation in Europe, Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

Glossary