Participation of the President of the Republic of Poland in conducting foreign policy

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role that the president plays within the Polish foreign policy under the 1997 Constitution of the Republic of Poland. This applies primarily to the legal aspect, but also to the analysis of the real-life and practical activity of persons holding this particular office. The article aims to assess how the formal possibilities of the president's actions translate into the actual performance of his functions within the analysed area. As a theoretical framework, a selection of legal acts, including the Constitution, and relevant scientific literature serve as principal sources. The analysis shows that the president's powers in the field of foreign policy are quite limited, but the Constitution provides him with a considerable scope of freedom, and the degree of its use depends to a large extent on the will and disposition of the person holding the position of the head of state.