Closer to citizens or to the state? : the influence of the access to the UE on both the conditions and aspirations of Polish non-governmental organisations in the political sphere

At least since the moment Poland joined EU Polish authorities have been insisting on the stronger and wider civic participation. It is reflected in the increasing number of emitted governmental documents. One of the most important items here is the attempt to engage NGOs in the decisive processes in the state. The aim of this article is the analysis of the relations between Polish NGOs and public administration in terms of the quality of civic discourse. The author focuses on those mutual relations before and after Poland joined EU. She does so both on the basis of the research conducted in 1990s and her own research results from 2011.