Normative Model of Supervision over the Activities of Communes in Poland

Communes are the main units of local government in Poland. The Constitution of 1997 guarantees them self-governing and independence, both in terms of their own public tasks and tasks commissioned by central authorities. Self-governance and independence of communes are not absolute. The activities of the commune self-government are subject to supervision from the point of view of legality, and the supervisory bodies are government administration bodies and regional chambers of auditors. This study aims at detailed reconstructing the Polish model of constitutional supervision over the activities of communes and its evaluation from the theoretical teleological and functional perspectives. The analysis led to the conclusion that the adopted criterion of supervision is sufficiently defined to prevent too much freedom of interference in the activities of communes, allows for proper protection of the interests of the entire country and its citizens. Thus, the Polish normative model meets the theoretical assumptions.