ABSTRACT
Poland is a country with serious environmental problems. The causes of the poor state of the natural environment in Poland stem from the realities of the post-war period of the planned economy which was characterised by non-rational and extensive exploitation of natural resources. Under the system of the centrally planned economy, whoever directed the economy also directed its processes and environmental protection. The system of environmental protection is an orderly set of values, objectives, goals, methods and means, together with the entities performing protection tasks. The organisational structure involves all relationships between linked organisational units for environmental protection. The government authority with the widest powers in the field of managing and protecting the environment is the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Natural Resources and Forestry. The main objective of the Commission is to prepare a framework for economic and social measures taken by the central government and local governments in order to realise the idea of sustainable development.
