Joint commissions of government and churches
Z Encyklopedia Administracji Publicznej
JOINT COMMISSIONS OF GOVERNMENT AND CHURCHES – bodies of the Council of Ministers, established in agreement with the interested institution, in order to reach a common position on matters of relevance to government policy and the interests of the institution or milieu represented in the commission. These are: Joint Commission of Representatives of the Government of the Republic of Poland and the Conference of the Polish Episcopal Conference (established in 1949, until 1989 functioning without a legal basis); Joint Commission of Representatives of the Government of the Republic of Poland and the Polish Ecumenical Council (1991, represents 7 Christian churches); Joint Group of Representatives of the Government of the Republic of Poland and the Holy Council of Bishops (2007, for the Orthodox Church); Joint Commission of Representatives of the Government of the Republic of Poland and the Evangelical Alliance in Poland (2009, for 15 Christian churches); Group for the Catholic Church in Poland of the Byzantine-Ukrainian Rite (known as the Greek-Catholic, 2010); Joint Commission of Representatives of the Government of the Republic of Poland and the Evangelical-Augsburg Church in Poland (2011). J.c. act on the basis of the laws of 1989-1997 determining the relationship of the state to a particular church, the Act of 1989 on the guarantees of freedom of conscience and religion and the Act of 1996 on the Council of Ministers. J.c. and the groups are an institutionalised form of relations between the state and the churches in Poland, their meetings constitute a forum for the exchange of information, exchange of opinions, reconciliation of positions of interest to the government and the church. Members of the commissions and groups cannot incur legal obligations during their deliberations. The findings agreed upon are binding for the Council of Ministers and its subordinate bodies. They have a character of political commitments and they are transferred to the next ruling parties. At the meetings of each commission and group, the government is represented by a representative of the central specialised religious administration body (the minister competent for internal affairs) and the representatives of the bodies that supervise religious matters within their subject-matter, namely ministers competent for education, social policy, culture, health [ B. Górowska ].
Literature: Komisja Wspólna Przedstawicieli Rządu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej i Konferencji Episkopatu Polski w archiwaliach z lat 1989–2010, wybór i oprac. nauk. P. Borecki, C. Janik, Warszawa 2011 ■ G. Rydlewski, Geneza i tryb przygotowania ustawodawstwa wyznaniowego w Polsce z 1989 r., [w:] B. Górowska, G. Rydlewski, Regulacje prawne stosunków wyznaniowych w Polsce. Zbiór przepisów i dokumentów (stan na 31 października 1992 r.), Warszawa 1992.