Selected legal-organisational aspects of functioning of mining industry in Poland

Abstract

Developed legal-organisational solutions are characteristic of the mining industry in Poland. Some of them have been analysed in this article. The research area is delimited by selected legal solutions included in the Act of 9 June 2011 Geological and Mining Law (consolidated text: Dziennik Ustaw of 2021 item 1420 with later amendments) and in the Act of 6 March 2018 Entrepreneurs’ Law (consolidated text: Dziennik Ustaw of 2021 item 162). In the article, the method of the analysis of normative solutions has been applied. The article has two fundamental goals. The first of them is to verify whether the requirements included in article 2 of the Act Entrepreneurs’ Law (this regulation states that everyone can undertake, realise and finish business activity in a free way and on equal rights) have been fulfilled by the obligation of obtaining a concession for the mining activity (see article 21 item 1 of the Act Geological and Mining Law). The hypothesis has been formulated that this obligation fulfils the requirements included in article 2 of the Act Entrepreneurs’ Law, but in limited range, however it does not exceed framework established by the regulations included in the Act Entrepreneurs’ Law. The second goal of the article lies in judging the legal requirements referring to competences of organs of mining supervision and judging legal status of these organs, in particular President of the Higher Mining Office (all these organs have been indicated in article 164 item 1 of the Act Geological and Mining Law). These regulations have been judged from the point of view of whether they secure proper standard of expertness and independence of supervision over mining activity. It has been made the hypothesis about appropriate standard of professionalism and autonomy, which is in this range warranted by the Act Geological and Mining Law. Accuracy of both hypotheses has been confirmed in the article.