Strengthening of the Senate’s Position on the Background of the Problem of its Concept

Abstract

The period of political transformation was a time of significant change, in which the establishment of the Senate was an important event. Political realities of those times prevented from constructing a coherent and well thought concept. This situation has led not only to a lively debate on the reform of the Senate, but also to undermining of the virtue of its existence. Over the past few years, one may notice a slow tendency towards the strengthening of the Senate position, not by way of constitutional reform, but on the basis of the laws and understatutory regulations. Specific changes in the functioning of the Senate was the introduction of a special mode of initiatives which are aimed at the enforcement of the Constitutional Court’s judgments, as well as examining citizens’ petitions. However, the most significant moment of the Senate’s empowerment was Polish accession to the European Union. It caused the necessity to adopt the Act on Cooperation regulating the cooperation between the Parliament and the Government on the EU matters. The mechanism of this cooperation places the Sejm and the Senate on an equal position. The implemented changes undoubtedly fit the current amplifying the Senate, which is slowly finding its place on the political scene.