The Legal Position of the National Bank of Poland as a Guardian of the Value of Money in the Light of Normative Determinants of Monetary Order

Abstract

The article concerns an issue of great significance from the point of view of contemporary challenges. The primary objective is to identify problems and legal instruments which are of fundamental importance in the perspective of the central bank’s tasks concerning the protection of the value of money and the maintenance of a stable price level, as defined in the Act on the National Bank of Poland (the NBP) and in Article 227 (1) of the Polish Constitution. In this context, it is important to understand the problem of the value of money in general and to give due consideration to the legal status of the NBP in the context of building monetary order and the legal possibilities of its operation in this area. Undoubtedly, an important attribute of the NBP is its legally guaranteed independence from all state authorities and the formulation of its basic forms of action within the framework of the legal system. Fundamental to the problem identified in the title of this article is undoubtedly an understanding of the basic legal instruments used by the NBP to protect the value of money. These include in particular: the determination and implementation of monetary policy, the prevention of excessive inflation and the increase in the prices of goods and services, as well as the use of interest rates in the process of stabilizing the value of money and price formation. The question of issuing money, especially when we are dealing with money overprinting, becomes a separate problem. In conclusion, it should be stated that concern for monetary order is an essential element in building the foundations of economic, financial, social and legal order in the state. The work uses primarily the dogmatic method and, to a lesser extent, other methods as well.