JPRS ID: 8552 TRANSLATIONS ON EASTERN EUROPE POLITICAL, SOCIOLOGICAL, AND MILITARY AFFAIRS

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POL I ? I i i I I RS

~ 28 JUNE i9~9 CFOUO 4l79~ i OF i
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~PRS L/8552
- 28 June ~979
s
TRANSl~4TI0NS ON EASTERN EUROPE -
_ POLI?ICAL, SOCIOLOGICAL, AND MILT7ARY AFFAIRS
~ ~ r
(F~UO 4/7'9)
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JPRS L/8552
_ 2 8 June 19 79
~
TRANSLATIONS ON EASTERN EUROPE -
PO!YTICAL, SOCIOLOGICAL~ AND MILITARY AFFAIRS
(FOUO 4/79)
CONTENTS PAGE
BuLGnRrn
SCrucCure, FuncCions of Conurbation 5ysC~ms ~xplnined
_ (Dimitur Dimitrov; PRAVNA MISUL, No 2, 1979) 1 -
CzECHO5LOVAKIA ~
Briefs
_ Report on Exec~tions 16
POLAND
Italian Daily Comments on Church-StaCe Affairs
(Sandro Scabello; CORRIERE DELLA SERA, 20 Apr 79). 17
-I
- a - (Ii2 - EE - 63 FOUOj
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BULGARIA -
STRUCTURE, FUNCTIONS OF CONURBATION 5YSTEMS EXPLAINED
Sofia PRAVNA MISUL in Bulgari~n No 2, 1979 pp 8-19 ~
[Article by Professor Dimitur Dimitrov: "An Important Reform in the
~ Territ~rinl-Adminiscrative Scructure of the Bulgarian People's Republic"]
[Text] I
On 1 Decemb~r 1978, at its ninth r~gular session, the Seve~th National
~ Assembly of the Bulgarian People's Republic passed the Law Amending and
Supplementing the Law on People's Councils. This modest method of
changing and supplementing the law on the people's councils factually -
marked the implementation of "essential re�orm in the administrative
and territorial structure of the country." It was directly linked
with the voted amendment and supplement to the Electoral Law.
These laws definitively settled the basic problems related to the 'shaping
of th~ settlement systems territorially and administracively. The conurba-
tion systefn was definitively established as the basic unit and main cell
within the system of the territorial-administrative structure of the
Bulgarian People's Republic. The legal foundations for its organiz~tion, -
efEective management~ development, and improvement wer~ laid in their
' entirety. ~
These laws marked the cempletion of a s[age in the political-legal settle-
ment of problems which were raised since the time that we began to mention
settlement systems and the need �or their organization and, subsequently, the
need for the legal settlement of the basic problems related to such an organi-
- zatiort. These laws are a brilliant proof of the great opportunities offered
the BCP to analyze properly and proEoundly the present and, an its basis~
consider future requirements, and do what is necessary to meet thsm.
The legal completion of the reform of the territorial-administrative
- structure and managemenc, however~ cannot be entirely clarified without
tracing the process which led to this c:ompletion. This is a pr~cess whirh
led to the logical conclusion of the creation of the concept oE the conurba-
tion systems but which began as a single process of conventional consolida- ~
tion on a territorial basis and, on this basis, of broadening the range of
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competence of the people's cduncils and their specialized orgnns. Grndually~
this process assumed ever clearer trends, reAChing the concept of the conur-
' bation systems and of all consequences stemming from this concept related
to the reorganization, on a territorial basis~ of our obshtinas, and the
need to amend and s~pplement managing and coordination rights oE the people's
councils. Thac is why, beEore substantiating the new legal stipulations
contained in the Law on the Amendment and Supplement of the L2w on the
People's Councils, and the study of the direction of such changes, leC us
' briefly survey the birth an~ process of reorganization of the people's -
councils on ~ Cerritorial basis and the reasons Eor such reorganiaation, as
well as t'~e changes and adaptations of the tasks, functions~ and rights of
the people's councils in terms of this reorganization.
II
A revnlutionary reorganizaCion was undertaken following the victory oE the
~ socialist revolution in Bulgaria: the breakdown oE the old and development
of new organs of people's regime locally~ without the reorganization of their `
territorial base. The 5 December 1947 Cnnstitution of the Bulgarian People's
Republic stipulated that the people~s councils were the base of the local
administratiQn as state local administrative organs of a socialist type.
Following the Bulgarian Constitution, the first law on the people's councils _
. was passed which elaborated the constitutional stipulations governing the
people's councils and became effective as of 1 March 1948. -
In the two decades that followed a number of changes were made in the terri-
torial and administrative structures. The okoliyas were abolished and okrugs
- were set up. Certain insignificant changes were made in the rights of the '
_ people's councils. However, no substantia: changes occurred. Such changes
= occurred with the reorganization of the state and economic management
following the Seventh BCP Congress. In 1959 the beginning was laid or,
stated more ac~urately, it is as of then that we should trace the beginning
of the socialist process of reorganization of the local territorial and ad-
ministrative units on an essentially new, socialist basis. At that point
the territorial structure inherited from the past was abandoned, particularly
_ that of the rural obshtinas, and the structure was laid on new foundations.
Okrugs and obshtinas were considered administrative-economic units defined 2
"on the basis of all economiL, administrative, and social considerations."
- They were to develop as territorial socialist "associations covering the
entire political, state, economic, and cultural life over a given territory."3
The okrugs were set up as such largesc local territorial-admin+~strative
units. They have remained unchanged to this day. The urban obshtinas, as
well, were not changed a great deal. They merely broadened thefr territorial
base essentially as a result of growth oE the cities. The rural obshtinas,
- however, were radically reorganized. With few exceptions they were re-
structured mainly on the basis of the economic-organizational principle con-
sisting of the consolidated TKZS [Labor Cooperative Farms~. Prior to the
~ 1957 reconstruction of che state and economic management the country had
3,450 TKZS. Following their consolidation they totalled 960. Prior to the
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consolidation nf the TKZ5 there were 112 tity and 1,833 rurnl obshtinras;
Eollowing th~ Consolid~tion of the TKZS thpr~ were 867 rur~l obshtinas
while th~ r~umber oE the city obshtinas r~mein~d the s~me. Bearing in mind
tfiat at that'time some 100 cities also had their own TK25, it becomes clcar
chat each consolidated TK25 covered thc territory of ~ consolidoted obshtin~.
Thty was alsn the main4principle governing the reorganiz~tion ot the rur~l
nbshtina aC that time.
Twenty years have passed since then. During that time new factors inEluenced
- the shaping of new requirements concerning the territorial and ndministrative
structure of the country. These Eactors were comprehensive and many Eer.eted~
Th,~y acted wiCh di�EerenC strength in different directions. However, this
- influence was being felt ever more frequenrly and strongly and led to con-
clusions, sometimes partial, leading to the final conclusion as expressed
in the concept of the settlement system. , -
As early as 1968~ in his reports to the BCP Central Committee 24 July plenum~
T. Zhivkov insisted on the need for the "obshtina people's councils to Eocus
their attention, above all and mainly on resolving the problems of the communal~
socio-culture, and other requirements of the ~ettlements, also requiring an
expansion of their rigl~ts in that direction."
In the acco~:ntability report submitted to Che lOth BCP Congress, T. Zhivkov
again emphasized the need to resolve the same problems by the obshtina
people's councils. However, a new element was now included in the formula-
tion of solutions. The lag in resolving such problems "could be surmounted
only by working on a longer-range basis and applying a broad comprehensive
approach it? which the development of the vario~s services is consistent with
the characreristics oE the territorial units."
Work with a longer-range target and the use of the comprehensive approach
in the solution of problems of settlements, big or small, were the basic
conclusion~ drawn by T. Zhivkov in this respect at the lOth BCP Congress.
Two years later, .~t the D~cember 1972 BCP Central Committee Plenum, on the.
basis of these tw~ main conclusions, he elaborated the first broad concept
oE the con~?,rbation system whict~ would resolve its problems precisely on a
- long-term comprehensive basis. In the Central Committee Accountability
- Report to the lith BCP Congress, the task was set of "clearly elaborating a -
concept on the development of the network of settlements. Urban construction
to be undertaken in sectlements interrelated within a Single system in which
the material and ~echnical base of the production and service area would be
built not within the ltmits of the individual settlements b~t with a view _
to the requirements of the conurbaCion systems as a whole." The Congress _
decisions stipulate that the "further territorial location of production
forces must be consistenc with the requirements of the conprehensive
appraach....A conversion must be made to the designing and graJual build~ng
of comprehensive service centers by settlement and conurbation systems."
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IC was on the basis of this decision thaC a number of polirical and legal
documents were discussed and adopted shaping the overall concept of rhe _
conurhation system.
This brief review of the birth and development of ~the process leading to
the shaping of the concept oE the conurbatinn systems in the Bulgarian
People's Republic shows that it was e process triggered by objective require-
menCs, gradually ripening and becoming necessary, requirements which have
influenced over the pasC twenty years the shaping and implementation of the
BCP poltcy concerning the territorial-administrative structure of the country. _
- III
The overall view, attitude and proposal related to the solution of the
ripe problem of a r~corm of the territorial-administrative structure of
the Bulgarian People's Republic, regarding the concept of the settlement
systems, was expressed aC a special BCP Central Committee Plenum held on
9 and 10 March 1977. The report submitted by Grigor Stoichkov "On the
Further Development and Improvemenr_ of the Terri.torial and Settlement System
of the Bulgarian People's Republic," indicated all the factors which in-
fluenced the decision of raising this question at the BCP Central Committee
Plenum. The territorial-structural plan of the Bulgarian People's Republic
was considered as the concretizing of a single Nation~l Program on the terri-
torial and settlement system of the country. The need was point~�d out to
adopt and refine a scientific norm governing the territorial a~~d settlement
structure. A general review was made of the total elaboration of all aspects
- and problems which may be triggered, implemented, and clarified with a view
to undertaking the overall reorganization of the country's territorial- -
administrative system. Due to the need to elaborate the basic features of
their content, at this point [words missing].
First, there have been some negative trends in the life and development of
individual settlements and territories, such as the abandonment of settle-
ments reaching nonp~rmissible levels and waste of public funds, unplanned
development of territories surrounding ^ettlements, disproportions between
the accelerated development of the living standard and tt~e structure of
territories and settlements, insufficiently comprehensive development and
buildup of working, residential, and recreational projects, public services,
and the technica' inErastructure, and the disturbance of the ecological
balance in some parts of the country. All thesF st~ortcomings, weaknesses,
and negative trends, assessed in the light of the new requirements, lead to
- the conclusion that the possibilities of the present system of territorial
and settlement structure have already been exhausted.
Second, the current stage in the development of the Bulgarian People's
Republic raises stricter requirements in the formulation and solution of
the problems oE the terri[orial and settlement structure. They must be con-
sidered as a comprehensive activity aimed at the effective organization of -
the territory and the utilization of resources, the rational location of
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the various m~Geri~l production and nonproduction pro,j~ces, ~nd Cheir
coordination and cooperated construction with a view to developing n
harmonious living environment. In other words, they must be considered and
resolved on a qualitatively new basis.
Third, this qualitatively new base was indicated in its essential outlines
by Comrade"T. ?.hivkov at the llth BCP Congress and the July 19~6 BCP Centrul
CommiCtee Plenum. It was on its basis that the National Comprehensive Pro-
gram for 1lpgrading the Living Standard, the General Plan for the Territorial
Division~oE` Production Forces, and the Integrated Territorial Structure Plan
were elaborated on the basis of the long-term, comprehensiveness~ continuity,
and legality prinr.iples.
Fourth, wh~reas the principles of durability, comprehensiveness, and .
continuity are the base of a general plan formulated for decades to come,
legality, ie~ the formulation of a scientific legal system for the terri-
torial and settlement srructure, calls for the establishmen[ and application -
of objective and scientific indicators governing the development of the
territory and the settlements, in the course oE which subjectivism, errors,
and infatuations would be eliminated.
_ ,
Fifth is the establishment, ratification~ and strict cantrol over the obser-
va~ce of uniform requiremen[s and systems governing the structure of the
country's territory, taking into consideration seven types of systems for
the structure of the territory and the comprehensive development of the
living environment, depending on the type of territory and the environment.
Such uniform systems will be observed everywhere, Chroughout the country's }
territory, and regardless of the territory of whose people's councils they
will be applied.
Sixth, the nature oE the conurbation system on the country's territory will
be determined through T. Zhivkov's formulation that "The settlement system
is a qualitatively new object corr.pared with the individual city or a group
of adminfs~ratively linked settlements. It is a single social organism in
which the `ettlements are linked through common production activities, _
common services, and joint transportation. The settlement sys[em covers'
settlements whose economic and social ties are steadily strengthening and
- considered as a single entity in the solution of socio-ecanomic, territorial-
structural, urban construction, and cultural problems. Housing needs will ~
be ensured within the limits of the indfvidual settlement system. The
settlement systems will be used [o resolve problems of limiting the growtli
of the big cities and the full utilization of developed yet unused housing
facilities and material and technical installations in the villages. New -
housing construction in the settlement systems, particularly in their cen-
ters, should be allowed only after ensuring the full utilization of available
housing within the vfllages within the system. The housing systems will
accelerate the process of equilization of the cown and country living con-
ditions, ensuring the population of the small villages access to the goods
and acquisitions. Identical working, living, and recreation conditions will
be provided in the settlements without the rural population having move,
using better organized urban transportation among the settlements."
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Seventh, the s~cialist system creates, for Che first time, real opportunities
for eEfecting and ensuring the planned development of settlement sysCems on _
- the Cerritory of a socialist state. The implementatfon of such possibilities
- was unde rtaken in socialist Sulgaria. This is a complex, difEicult, and
responsible matter~ bearing in mind CheC such comprehensive development _
has nat been completed 6y a single other country.
Eighth, there could be about 300 to 350 setClement systems within socialist
Bulgaria of different types and with different functions. Some of~them have
already been established. Others are in the process of formation while
others are as yet to be established. The highly developed settlement systems
~ are agglomerations based on the big cities. Sy~tems which are now being
created on the basis of the theory of agroindustrial complexes without a
city center are in their initial development stage.
Ninth, the establishment and development of settlement systems will ensure
great advantages and opportunities in the field of economics, presently and
in the f uture, with an intensified process of territorial concentrstion and
specialization in public productio;~. It will rationalize and facilitate
the solution of the housing problem. It will facilitate the comprehensive
public services, for national service systems will be based on the settle-, _
ment systems.
Tenth, the establishment of settlement systems requires and demands improve-
ments in the management of the territorial and settlement systems both ~
' vertically and horizontally. Vertically we must define the tasks, functions,
and righ ts of the State Council, and Council of Ministers, and of the indi-
vidual ministries and committees, and okrug people's councils. Horizontally,
the tasks, functions, and competencies of the obshtina people's councils, as
organs in charge of rnanaging the settlement systems, were defined precisely
in the Law Amending and Supplementing the Law on the People's Councils, voted
by.the ninth regular session of the Seventh National Assembly.
- This study of the soci,o-economic aspect of the process of the shaping of the _
idea of settlement systems is necessary, for without it we cannot understand
and clarify, substantiate, and bring to light the purpose and essence of the
legal ac ts governing the basic stipulations of the concept of the reorgani-
zation of the territorial and settlement management under the conditions of
conurbation systems. :;in other words, we cannot bring to light and explain
the nature, content, and the purpoSe of the reform of the territorial- ~
administrative stxucture of the country. The individual stipulations of
the law related to this reform can be more easily clarified, analyzed,. and
inter~~eted, in terms of content and purpose, on the basis of the legal ,
acts. ,
~ IV ~
The March 1977 BCP Central Committee Plenum provided the basis for the
development of the overall legal system of the Bulgarian People's Republic ;
as applicable to the reform of the territorial-administrative and settlement ~
~ ~
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st~ucture. The "Basic Directions for the Further Development and Improve-
mene of the Territorial and Settlement Srructure oE the Bulgarian People's
Republic" ~fere adopted and ~pproved ~t the March plenum on the basis of the
report by G. Stoichkov "On the Further bevelopment and Improvement of the -
Territorial and Settlement StrucCure of the BulgariAn People's Republic,"
and the co-report submitted by T~ Bozhinov "Bnsic Aspects of the Ap~lica-
tion of the MulCiplication Approach in the Territorial ConcenCration and
SpecializaCion of Public Production."
These "Basic Directions" are the broadest and most complete political docu-
ments issued so far on the formulations, substantiations, and concretizAtions
of stipulations and tasks to be carried out on the basis of these regulations
on the developmenC and improvement of the territorial and setClement structure
~ of the country.
Only a few days after the March 1977 BCP Central Committee Plenum, the
Council of Ministers of the Bulgarian People's Republic adopted its Special
Order No 35, dated 28 March 1977 on the implementation of the basic direc-
tions on the further development and improvement of the territorial and
. settlement structure of the Bulgarian People's Republic, as approved on
10 March 1~77.
In accordance with Order No 35 of the Council oF Ministers the National
Construction Complex was assigned to elaborate and implement a"Comprehensive
Program for Ensuring the Country with Territorial-Structure and Settlement-
Structure Plans for the Seventh Five-Year Plan, and for Che Five-Year Plan~
through 1990." An integrated territorial strueture plan is being formulated.
Council of Ministers Decree No 77, dated S December 1977, "On the Creation
and Development of Conurbatiun Systems in the Bulgarian People's Republic"
ratified the establishment of settlement systems in the country with the
settlements to be included in them. It approved the boundaries of these
systems, their centers, and the specific type of system, ie, whether it is
ae already developed system, is in the process of development, or is as yet
to be developed. With Decree No 77 of the Co~ncil of Ministers, dated
5 December 1977, the settlement systems were given a legal aspect and became
factual links within our territorial system.
Several days later, at the end of the year, the National Assembly passed the
- Law Amending and Supplementing the Law on the Territorial and Settlement
Structure of 1973. With this amendment and supplement, adopted on 22 Decetnber
1977, published fn D. V. No 102, dated 30 December 1977, the settlemenr
systems are legitimized as a new link within the system of the territarial
~ and the conurbation structure of the country, and a supplemen[ is added to
Article 37 stating that "Conurbation systems are the base of the territorial
and se[tlement structure of the country." The tasks, functions, and rights
of the Council for the Territorial and Conurbation System of the Council of
Minister~. were concretized in terms of settlement systems as well.
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The Law on Councils of SettlemenC Sysrems was adopted at the same session of
the National Assembly. According to the law, passed on 22 December 1977,
starting with ~ January 1978 each conurbation system must set up special
organs--settlement system councils. The purpose of these organs is to
coordinate ehe activities of the respective organs and organiz~rions in the
implementation of a single economic, social, and culCural policy within the
settlement system.
The settlement system councils are original organs with typical inrermediary
and transitional tasks, functions, and rights which will be extended until
the first leading organs of the settlement systems will be elected when the
latter will become integrated territorial-administrative units in the spring
of 1979. The purpose of these councils was to undertake to coordinare the
activities of the already established systems, involving members of the
people's councils of all settlements within the conurbation systems.
With Decree No 7 of the Council of Ministers, dated 14 March 1978, a directive
was passed on the activities of the councils of settlement systems: On the
basis of the Law on Councils of Settlement Systems, the directive refined -
and concretized details on the structuring and functioning of these councils. =
_ With Decree No 16, dated 21 April 1978, amending and supplementing the
Regulation on the Application of Che Law on the Territorial and Settlement
System, the Council of Ministers introduced all the required amendments to �
the application of this law following the legislative establishment of the
settlement systems and of their managements.
These laws show that following the adoption by the BCP Central Committee of
the basic political document "Basic Directions on the Further Development
and Improvement of the Territorial and Settlement Structure of the Bulgarian
People's Republtc.,'~ a number of legal acts followed such as laws, decrees,
orders, directives, and so on, thus giving a legal aspect to a number of new
conc:epts whose implementation had to be underCaken as soon as was. possible.
The adoption oE thesc laws legitimized the settlement systems, set up their
provisional organs, defined their provisional tasks, functions, and rights
within the existing system of organs of the people's councils of the settle- -
ments within the framework of the conurbation systems, and ensured the
_ initial coor~iination of activities of such organs of the new unit--the
conurbation system.
V
On 1 December 1978 the National Assembly passed three closely interrelated
laws: the Law Amending and Supplemen[ing the Law on the People's Councils,
' the Law Extending the Term of the People's Councils, and the Law Amending
and Supplementing the Electoral Law. They settled a number of urgent pro-
blems related to the further organization of settlement systems, the shaping
of their management and power authorities, and the definition of their tasks,
functions, and rights as organs of the new territorial-administrative unit--
the c~nurbation system.
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~ 'Che Law Amendi>>g and Supplementing the LaoT on the I~eople's Councils is of
- basic significance. This lAw, as is stipulated in the interpretations
added to th~ draft bill by its author--Cr. 5tuichkov, deputy chairman oE
_ the Council of Ministers--codifies "the building of the conurbAtion systems
as a new Eorm of the organization of settlements in which settlements and
intersettlement territories will Ue organtcally linked and within whose
_ borders comprehensive human activities will take place."
With a view to the lasting solution of this problem the time has come Eor
the conurbation syste, at this point territorially and administratively
organized, to replace its provisional organs--the settlement system coun-
cils--with its permanent organs.
According to the law each conurbation sys~em with all its settlements will ~
represent a single obshtina. Cons~quently, the ~conurbAtion system will
represent Che basic territorial-adminis[rative unit of Che Bulgarian People's
_ Republic organized as an obshtina. As an obshtina it will have a single
peaple's obshtina covncil which will be elected by the population of the
conurbation system residing in all settlements on the obshtina's territory. -
This obshtina people's counci,l will be the elecCive and representative organ
of the power of the conurbation system. Only in some big settlement systems
such as Sof�ia, Varna, and Plovdiv, within the framework of the obshtina its
territory may be divided ineo rayons on whose territory rgyon people's
councils will be elected. This stipulation is exceptional and its purpose
~ is to facilitate the management of the biggest conurbation systems in Che
country. This exception was legitimized on the suggestion of the Council
of Ministers with StaCe Council Ukase. The basic,.principl.e of one conurba-
tion system--one obshtina people's counci~--shall apply to all other conur-
_ bation systems in the country.
The developmen[ of the conurbation systems largely changes the tasks, func-
tions, and rights of the obshtina councils of the conurbation system. .In
this case i,t is not a question merely of a conventional territorial broaden-
ing of [he rights of obshtina people's councils and their exe~utive committees
on the expanded territory of the settlement system. It is no longer a case
of changing~ in essence the tasks, functions, and rights of obshtina people's ~
councils within the conurbation system. This is made most clear in the
amendment to Article lla oE the Law on the People's Councils. whose full
text follows:
"Within the limits of their competence the obshtina people's councils shall: -
a. Organize and control comprehensively the building and development of
conurbation systems and individual settlements, and ensure the effec[ive
utilization of material, natural and manpower resources;
b. Adopt a plan and budget for the development of conurbation systems and
settlements within the framework of ceilings and indicators approved by the
okrug people's councils;
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c. Consider ~nd gubmit for ~pprov~l t~rritoriel-structur~ and urb~n con-
struceion plan~ Eor conurb~tion system~ and s~e~lemenrs;
~ d. Control urb~niz~cion ~nd communal ~cciviti~~;
n. En~ur~ eh~ pEf~c~iv~ u~iliz~cion ot built up r~sidential ~nd socio-
cul~~.r~l ~~Ciliti~s and th~ maximum conc~ntretion of capital ihv~stmentsf
E. M~nag~ c~mpr~hsnsive soei~l ~~rvicps and the selE-satisfaction oE th~
po~ulation with agricuttur~l province;
g. Contribut~ ta and eontrol the ;tmplem~ntation of easks in industry, eon-
- struction, ~griculcure, transportation, communications, r~creaeton, tourism,
and protection of th~ environmenc and the land;
h. Nelp in the implementatton nE thc measur~s carried out on cheir t~rrirory -
by oth~r state and publir organs and orgenizations; -
i. Conrdinate the activitiea oE all establishments ~nd economir organiza-
tions on their territory with a view to the comprehensive development of
the obshtina."
The thus formulated content of the rights of obshtina people's councils
systhesizes ~verything important and n~cessary to be implemenced by such
counctts--direct guidance, assistance, and coordinacion. Perhaps practical
experiencc ~nd the experience of the future will provc the need to change ~
or add co these rights. This is merely the beginning. However, ev~n as
they are currpncly scipulated at the beginning, such righcs earmark quite
welt and adequately chat which the obshtina people's councils of the conur-
bation syscems can and musc carry out. The practical cescing of the system
aill require a certain period oE time. _
VI
The Law Amending and Supplemcnting the Law on the People's Councils c~~ntains
a~ entirely nea chepter three. The chapter is entitled "Municipaliciea."
Indeed, this is an entirely ne~~ institution in our systern of peogle's
councils, an instir.ution brought to lighc by the need to ensure the suitable
management of all settiements within the conurbation system and the develop-
ment, enrichment and improvement of sociatist democracy.
.
The municipalities are executive organs of the obshtina people's councils. .
They shall consist oE individual settlements or groups of settlements with
a population exceeding 100 people ovtside the obshcina center.
- Bearing in mind the shape of the currenc settlement systems, we cauld
positively claim that it would hardly be a settlemenc system Without munici-
palities, ie, Which will not h~+ve individual settlements outside the obshtina
seat, uith a population in excess oE 100 people. Consequently, the munici-
pality becomes not [he exception but the rule in our conurbation systems.
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The numb~r oE muni~ipaliti~g w~thin the annurb~tidn nygtpm gh~ll be deter-
m4n~2d by th~ obghein~ peopl~~ c~unCil aE thp Conurb~tion ~ygtem. It ghall
algn deeerminp th~ g~~t oE the municip~lity iE it will ~~rve ~ group oE
~eett~mhnts. As to th~ gettlpmnnt in which tl~e s~nt oE thp ob~htln~ c:o~ncil
oE the conurb~tton sys~pm will b~ laceted, it shall ~ot have a municipaltty.
The execueiv~ cnmmittee oE eh~ ob~htina penple's council of the conurbation
sygtpm will assum~ th~ rnle dE th~ municip~lity of that settlement.
The mu~iicipality shall Consi~C of the mayor, deputy mayors, a secretary,
and munirip~l p~ople's cnuncilors. "Cher~ shall be one meyor with mor~ th~n
_ one deputy mayor if necessary. The numb~r nf deputy mayors ppr individuel
mt~nicipatity within rhe conurbation syst~m shall be determined by the
obshtina people's council of the respective conurbation system. There
shall be no nw re than one municipal secretary.
The peaple's councilors of the municipaliCy may diEfer in number depending
on the number of re~td~nts of the settlempnt with a municipality. In the
case of a municip~lity ~~rith a population not to exceed 10,0Q0 Chere shall
be frnm two to seven people's councilors. In a municipality with a popula-
tian ~E ov~r 10,000 there shall be from five to nine councilors.
The executive cortunittee of the obshtina people's councit oE the conurbation ~
system shall determine the number of electoral districts each oE whtch will
elect one peaple's councilor Eor the municipality, d~pending on the size of
the population in the municipality. As to the mayor, he shatl be elected
" directty by the voters of all electoral districts oE the municipality Eor a -
tern of two and one-half years, which shall also be the term oE the people's
councilors oE the municipality and the people's councilors of the obshtina
people's council of the conurbation system.
The deputy mayors and the secretaries of the individual municipalities shall
have a special status. Since the municipality as a whole, as a collective
_ organ~ is an organ oE the execucive committee of the obshtina people's
council of the conurbation system, che obshtina people's council shall
appoint deputy mayors and secretaries for all municipalities on the terri-
tory oE the conurbation system. This obshtina people's council may relieve
the deputy mayors and secretaries oE municipalities from their positions. ~
It is obvfous that the municipality is a separate collective organ set up
on a special basis. The mayor shall be elected by all voters oE the munici-
pality while the deputy mayors and the municipal secretary shall be appointed
- by the obshtina people's council of the entire conurbation system, while
the people's councilors of the mu~icipality shall be elected only by the
voters of th~ settlement set up as a separate municipality. This organiza-
eion oE the municipality is based on its status as an organ of the executive
conmittee oE che obshtina people's council and the need for the mayor, the
head oE the municipality, to be directly elected by those Whom he will lead
as their elected mayor.
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~o~ o~~ictai, vs~ ornY ~
~ Aa to the ta~ks, funccione, and rights of the municipality as an entirely
. new in~titution, rh~y sh~11 b~ determinad, in aecord~nce with eh~ new law, ~
as Eotlows:
"The municipaliey shall: ,
a. Ena~urp the implem~ntation oE the decisiona of eh~ oyshti~a p~ople'e
eouncil and.its ~x~c~tiv~ committ~~ end of the ta~ks stemming from these
decisions;
b. Organize the urbanization and maintenance oE streeta and engineering
gystems;
c. Be in ch~rge of cleanliness and hygiene;
d. ~nsur~ the observanc~ of public orders;
e. Provide the population with administrative services;
f. Carry out other assignments entrusted to it on ~he besis oE legal acca
or by the superior state organs.
The basic problems related co ~he competence of the municipality shall be _
resolved on a collective basis. The municipality shall pass decisions and
orders. �
It is clear ~hat the m~nicipality shall be granted functions and right~i to
resolve the necessary problems, consistent with the nature of the mu,r~icipality
as an organ for the implementation of strictly local tasks related to the
administration of the settlement considered a municipaiity. As to all other
toatters of a general admi~aistrative nature, aEfecting not only the entire ~
conurbation system but its municipalities~ they shall be resolved by the
obshtina people's council of the conurbation system.
It is natural at this point to raise the following question: Was it not _
possible for the municipalities to sec up municipal people's councils svch
as is the case wich the obshtina and okrug territorial-administrative units?
In other words, why could the current reform of the territorial-administra-
tive structure of the~country not establish a three-level system of councils--
municipal~ obshtina, and okrug?
This question cannot be answered simply With a yes or no. Inevitably~ the
answer must contain a minimum interpretation. In my view~ it is noG
necessary in the case oE this reform to set up a three-step and three-level
system of people's councils. It is not necessary, for this would conflict
with the basic intent oE the conurbation system as the basic admini.gtrative- ~
territorial unit. Adopting a three-level and three-step system would mean -
that a settlement set up as a municipality Will become the lowest, ie, the
basic administrativie-territorial unit. Yet, it is precisely this that aas
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neith~r the intent nor Eh~ purpoge of th~ r~Eorm. Th~ m~in int~nt ~nd basie
purpos~ of th~ r~E~rm ig ta m~ke preci~~ly th~ ennurb~einn sygtem eh~ b~gic
t~rritori~l-~dministr~tiv~ unic. Thi~ gcttl~m~nt ~ygt~m ghell bp conaider~d
a~ a gingln pntity. Within ics limicg it ghall resolv~e a number of impor-
tant problems whieh sn far eould nnt b~ r~golv~ad ~sgentially b~eause individual
ob~hting~~,had thetr own people's cnuncils. Xet, the coordinetion among their -
administraeive ~ctiviCies neither wes nor could r~ach a l~vel c~p~bl~ of
r~solving the probl~ms which w~rp triggered by thp naturally exiating or
neturatly developing conurbetion gystems. Consequently, phe main thing was -
to aet up a ronurbation mystpm also ~s a single ob~htina with ~ single org~n
c~pabte oE resolving ~11 probipms oE the Cdnurbation system and of all
~eetlements includEd within it.
It is on the basis oE guch atatements and conclusions concerning the current
_ statu~ and prospects ~nd possibiliti~s Eor the futur~ thnt we could con-
vincingly stste that not the municipality, ie, each sertlement, thet ahould
be con~idered a territorial-administrative unit but pr~cisely th~ opposite--
the naturally linked or to b~ linked settlements within a singl~ conurbation
system to b~ dpveloped as a new, ~ truly new territorial-administrative unit.
This aas precisely the r~asdn for th~ reform. As to the organizatton oE
municipalities, they should be Considered ~ maniEestation oE the rational
division of t~sks~ functions, and rights among territorial-~dministrative
organs within the cotturbntion system and its constituting settlements. In
no cage should guch ~ division hinder or reatrict the possibilitiea oE the
obshtina people's councii co resolve entirely and Eully all problems of the
_ conurbation system~ ie, quescions which are formulated by reality and which
must be resolved now and in the future ever more urgentiy. Thig system
offers neither hindrsnces nor restricttons, for the municipel organs are
the organs oE administration of the conurbation system as a territorial-
administrative unit~ as organs of its obshtina people's council.
VII
_ The reform of the territorial-edministrative system of the country is based
on conclusions drawn from the study of an objectively ripening and developing
process; the struccuring, restructuring and adaptation of the population
and the settlements to the new working and living conditions and requiremencs -
characterizing our developed socialist society. This reform is also accom-
panied by a maniEestation oE a braadened socialist democracy in the course
oE its implementa[ion. This broadening is in the spirit of the Leninist
theory oE the ever broader involvement of the working people in the solution
of problems pertaining to their life and Work, and conditions and possibilities
for improving the hygiene and the urbanization of the settlementg.
The expansion oE manifestations of socialist democracy in the implementation
oE the reform of our territorial-administrative structure may be cnncretized
i~ several directions.
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Th~ Eirst is ~ dp~re~sed membership oE th~ p~opl~'g councils. Thus, the
number of th~ Snfi~ Obshtina Council, as the 1~rgegC conurbation system in
the cnuntry~ ghall be increased to 250 p~dpl~'g councilors. Thp abghtin~~
peoplE's ~ouncils oE the conurbation syst~ms will hav~ a structur~ which
will ch~nge according eo the size of che population oE the conurbaCion sys-
C~m. Tha mini.mum numb~r of p~dpl~'~ councilors will be Sd while their maxi-
mum number m~y not exc~ed 150.
The sECOnd is the esteblishment of the institution of people's councilars
oE thc municipality. Thc number of people's councilors in the individuai
municipaliti~s will be based on the size of the popul~tion of the respective
~Qttlement or municipality, ranging from a minimum of two to a maximum of
nine. Unquestionably, the people's councilors oE a municipality represent
a major step forward in the development of socialist democracy pven within '
the gmallest settlements or groupa of settlements within the ccnurbation
systems.
The third is the establishment of the it~stitution of direct mayoralty elec-
tions. This, as was pointed out by che author of the draft bill amending
and supplementing the electoral law~ Gr. Stoichkov~ in his motivationa for
the dreft bill, is a manifestation of the implementation oE the '!requirements
of the program of th~ Bulg~rian Comnunist Party on expanding the elective
prinCiple, extending it to some executive organs." The mayor is elected by
the voters of the settlement or settlements within a municipality. Thus
the mayor is a directly elected ofEiciai, the first directly elected execu-
tivc organ within the system of organs of the conurbation system. That is
_ why he musc periodically report to the population of the municipality his
_ own and the municipality's activities~`in the spirit and the norms of the
socialist democracy. _
The fourth is expanding the rights and obligations of the elective organs
aithin the obshtina people's council. Socialist democracy, as the first
component, has within its developmenc a process of expanding the elective
nature of organs which manage a socialist society; its other component is
broadening the rights and obligations of these elective organs. We pointed
out how boldly the righcs and obligations of the elective organs of the
settlement systems are increased. Naturally, this increase is not selfseeking.
It is the natural consequence of the broadened and more complex problems to _
- be resolved by these organs under the conditions of the new basic territorial- -
administrative unit of the country--the conurbation system. However~ this
exp~.nsion could and should be considered also a manifestatien of the develop-
ment of the co~tent of socialist democracy.
Therefore, the three laws passed by the ninth regular session of [he Seventh
National Assembly of the Bulgarian People's Republic laid the legal founda-
tions of an important reform in the territorial-administrAtive structure of
our country. The reform is as yet to prove its timeliness and fruitful~ess. `
Actually~ this reform is the completion af a stage in the development and
improvement of the country's territorisl-administrative structure, which
lasted, in fact, some 20 years. Today life and practical experience will
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prnvp its m~rits or shnrtc~mings, nmissinns, nr g~ps. Unque~tinn~bly,
howpver, this rpEnrm will pravid~ a strong imp~tus tn thp efFores for the
golution under cont~mpnrery Conditions end r~quirement~ nE prnblems r~l~ted
Co the territorial-edrninistr~eivp gtructurp oE our counr,ry, thus contributing
to the succes~Eul building of ~ develnp~d ~ucialist society in thp Bulgr~rian
Feople's R~publie. '
Footnotes
Se~ "Arguments in ~'~vor of the Or~ft Law Ampnding end Supplem~nting the
Law on the Penpl~'s Councils, Proceedings of the Ninth 5ession of the Seventh
National Aasembly, 29 NovemberW-1 December 1978."
2. T. 2hivkov~ "Reports to the Third Regular Session of the Third Nation~l
AssQmbly, 1959," "NationAl Assembly Minutes~ 1959," pag~ 14.
3. Ibid, p~ge 17.
4. For an overall interpretation nf this matter see Dimitur bimitrov,
"Narodnite Suveti i Preustroystvoto na DurzhAVnoto i Scopanakoto Rukovodstvo
v NRB" [The ~eople's Councils and Che Rporgnniaation oE the Stete and Economic
_ Management in the Bulgarian Peopl~'s Republic] 5ofia, 1961,pp 35 and following.
5. Todor 2hivkov, "Osnovni Nasoki za Po-Natatushnoto Razvitie na Sistemata
na Upravlenie na Nasheto Obshtestvo" (Main Directions in the Further Develop-
ment of the System of Administration of our Society~ Sofia~ 1968~ pp 79-80.
6. Tenth BCP Congress, Minutes, 1971~ page 96.
7. Todor 2hivkov, "Za Posledovatelno Izpulnenie Resheniyata na X Kongres na
BKP za Povishavane Zhiznenato Ravnishte na Naroda" [For the Systematic
Implementation of the Decisions of the Tenth BCP Congress on Upgrading the
Living Standards of the People], Partizdat, Sofia, 1972~ pp 108 and following.
~
8. iith BCP Congress, "Minutes," Partizdat, Sofia, 1976, page 65.
9. Ibid, page 661.
~ 10. T. 2hivkov, "Izbrani Suchineniya" [Selected Works], Vol 25, page 175.
11. See "Osnovni Nasoki za Po-Natatushnot~> Razvitie i Usuvurshenstvuvane na
Teritorialnoto i Selishtnoto Uscroytvo n+? Narodna Republika Bulgariya"
[Basic Directions for the Further Developm~:nt and Improvement of the Terri-
torial and Settlement Structure of the Bul;;arian People's Republic]~ Partizdat~
Sofia, 1977; Marin Devedzhiev, "Selishtnite Sistemie" [Cocnubation SystemS~~
Nauake i Izkustvo, Sofia, 1978; Lilyana VF,sileva~ "Problemi na Kompleksno[o
Razvitie na Teritorialnite Edinitsi" [Prol~lems of the Comprehensive Develop-
ment of Territorial Units~, Partizdat, Sol'ia~ 1978.
OOPXRIGHT: Edinen Tsentur po naukite za ~urzhavata i pravoto 1979
c/o Josuator, Sofia
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CZ~;CNOSLOVAKTA
BRI~~S
R~pORT ON ~XECUTIONS--From an Egypt~an source comes th~ report that eome
weekg ngo approximnCely 20 officer~ wer~ ex~cuted in Libya afCer ~n un-
SUCC@~SfUl coup d~eC~C. Col a1-Qndhdhafi reportedly nttended ehe ~xecuCione
nnd refused eo return the bodies of thoae execuC~d to their families for
funprala. Two Czech adviserg who were impliaat~d in the plot w~re expelled
to Prague. (Text~ (Parig VALEUR5 ACTU~LLES in French 30 Apr 79 p 21~
C50: 4800
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1'c11,~N1)
ITALIAN UAILY COt~tENTS ON QttlRCEt-STATE AFFAIIt3 -
Milan CO[tItI~R~ DELLA S~RA in Italian 20 Apr 79 p 5
~Article by Sandr~ ScAb~11o: "Churr.h and Stat~ on th~ Road tn Convergene~")
[Text) tJar~~w. "W~ cannot pret~nd thaC thg t'op~ think~ only of Polgnd or
the t it en~ oy~ a privi leged pogi tion in hi~ ehaughrg . Our requee tg mue t
b~ more d~licate, cautiaus and digcreet. Ie ie certain that the Pop~ wi11
do gll he can to achiev~ a nonmlization of relation~ betaeen Church and
~tate in Poland, but we must be patient and Wait. In the mpantime, a few
gtep,~ fornrard have been made. t+or the firat time the government hag
recognized that th~ Ohurch also i~ interested in the country's probleme."
The bishop We are interv3ewing at the eea~ of the Polieh epiecopate is one
of Cardinal Nye~yrnmki'e clos~t aides. (He asked us not to mention hie
name because he i~ the only prieet authorizeil to epeak on the r~cord with
journalists and ie the officiel spokeeman for the don Orezulik curia.) He
is part of that "current" in the Polish 8piecopal Conference ahich ineiated
that the dete of Pope Woj tyla's trip to Poland be coordinated With the
government. As ia kaarn, part of the episcopate had takea a definite
gtnnce in chooeing 13 May, the niae-hundredth aanivereary nf Saint Stanislaw.
In the long run, the m~re pragmetic and realiatic approach prevailed,
namely the rme aupported by both those in the Vatican and in Wars~a who
teared chat the Pontiff's visit in May Would reeult in negatively influen-
cing the procesg of conciliation betWeen Church and etate ahich noa, after
three decades of harah conflict~ and bitcer political tengione, ie iritnese~ng
moa~nts of promising detente, obviou9ly influenced by the election of Karol
Wojtyla tc the papal throne of Saint Peter.
"It ig nece.s~ary to proceed very attentively and ~ith caution in thi~ phage
of normalization," COflt~flLpd our interlocutor. "Our main objective is to
be recognized judicelly. Up until na+ We have beea auspended in a vacuum,
and in Polish laW a e represent nothing. Every parieh priest, every biehop~
muat be approved by the government. If the government ia aincere in ite
stetementa, it must devote itaelf to solving thia very important proble~o."
17
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mt~r~ gr~ 4S ~cminar3.e~, 25 dioce~ee ~ 6, 700 pari~heg ~ aLnoet 14,000 church~s ~
and 20,Q00 p~i~~C~ (on tih~ gve~~ge 500 are ordined every year); with thege
numb~r~ Pnligh C,~Chol~ci~m, deeply ~cc~oeed in all ~traC~? of tih~ ~oci~ty,
cixhibir~ iC~ power gnd mm~ipreeence: 95 perc~nt of ehe popul~Cion h~s b~en
baprix~d and 80 p~rcenG i~ con~ider~d ro b~ precticing~
Thi~ g1~o ~xpl~in~ haa the Church, degpiee itg agg~rtion thae it do~g nnt
'lai~h to gg~um~ a rolp of a political naCure" gnd doe~ not "wieh to view
ie~~1f a~ an glternative to the ~ye tem, has becom~ th~ nenter gnd the
r~fug~ of Poli~h oppogition, ig en~gaged,in the etruggle for civi.l righrg
nnd baeic fraedoms, and ~upporte the so-called "�lying univer~it3~g,"
~h~e i~, univ~reity courseg conducted aC home where all which i~ forbidden
officially i~ tgu~ht. Now, following year~ of ideological claghpn, of _
curCniim~ ne of reli.gioug freedom~ of a herm~tic~l aep~ration of the twa `
diffpring vi~w~ di th~ world, coexistence with the crnomunigt regim~ hge
U@COtf1E l~~s precarious.
Eccl~igstical authori.ties dem~nd, among other thingg, eh~ abolition of
c~ngorghip and of artificial printing limite set for Catholic mugazines, _
~nd demand a~ well the c~g~gtion of discrimination againat the faithful in
plgces of ~nploym~nt. They cl~im the right of access to radio and tele-
vision a nd complain about the limited numb~r of building permite for new -
churches. The fundamental. ob~ective~ however, remaing legal recognition.
Wi11 it be poggible? The miniater of the Office of Religiou~ Affairs,
K~gimi~rz Kakol, angWerg: "If I Were to use a oeteorologicel expreggion,
I aould aay that th~ barometer hae egtablised on nice weather. We are on
the road to an advanced normalization of relatione, which meang the be-
ginning of different forms of collaboration. Today, a conf lict between
Church and state does not exist in Poland. There exiete a series of com-
plex prob lema~ also of a theoretical nature, Which We are attempting to re-
solv~. Among the most important of theee is the legal etatua of the
Church, which demands to b e recognized as a legal inetitution."
"Th~ problem ia difficult to aolve because, for aocis.:is't l~a, there ig no
difference be n+een public and privnte juridical per~ons. We ere Well
aWere that the Church ia not an org~nizgtion like all the otherg end thus
we are examining the situation th oroughly. Experts on both sides have al-
ready met three timea. Other meetiags are foreseen for the future, but it
Will not be easy to find a position of mutual accoYd."
Janusz S tpfancx~icz~ editor-in-chief of th~ daily SLOWO POWSZLCEtNE (Uni-
v~rsal Word), belongs to the PAX Group (ihe pragressive eocial Catholic
movement}, echoes the party's po~itions~ and speaks of a"neW philosophy -
of rapport. T~e Church no longer etruggles only for its rights and
privileges but also f or reasons of state~ and collaborates With political
power. This is a very significant turn. Cierek conaidere the Church an
integral. inseparable part of Polish civilization, and, for its part~ th~
biahopric recognizes that the mistrust it nourished via a vis the cocmuniet
s Gnte aas not based on ideological or philosophical motives. "Ne are
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'~wittteg~~ng two parallel~ Chough noe idenCicgl, evoluCiong, egch having some
point~ af conGact." _
KrzyezCof Koxlowgki, deputy editor-in-chief of 7'YGODNIK POWSZECNNY (Uni-
v~rsal Weekly) of the ~NAK Group, th~ w~ekly ~pnnsored by Karol Wo~tyla �
when he wa~ archbiehop of Krakow, is very skeptical. "Collgboration? At
the pree enC I don't even see the ground in which iti migh~ take place," he
stated. "Certainly the gesrures of kindness and detente gre present on
ehe othpr aide, but fundamentally the ~ituation has not changed. Let ua
exami.ne, for' example, the problem of alcohol among the young. The govern-
ment has a8ked more Chan once for the Church's collaboraeion Co cambaC th R
ph enomenon but has eimultaneously continued Co increase thg production of
alcoholic b everages which has come Co xepreaent one of the moat con- -
spicuoug profits of the economy; 50 million zlotys. The eCorea may be
out of foodatuffa, buC alcohol will never be lacking."
Alcoholism, abortion, divorcE: Poland, which aees a daily increase in
religious vocation (ehia year aeminaries have Curned away one-third of the -
applicanta becauae of lack of apace) and whose churches are always crawded,
should be ahielded from auch evil~. Instead, Che young drink more and
more, the n~ber of couplea who separate af ter a few months of inerried life
is on the riae (eapecially among the young), and more and more often
pregnancies are interrupted. (According to semiofficial sourcea there are
one million abortions a year in Poland, while the official figures mention
300,000.) How came?
'We do not control youth organizations. They are all in the handa of the
state," obs erved Kozlowaki. "Therefore, how can we act decisively without
the proper framewnrk? The Church can only rely on the mass on Sunday,
house visits by pariah priests $nd a few Catholic magazines. There are -
some Cahtolic clubs in the larger citiea. There is even a Catholic uni-
versity with a very limited number of students: 30 majoring in hiatory,
35 majoring in philology It is dramatic." Miniater Kakol limited
himgelf to raising the question, a bit mischieviously, "if it ie true that
80 percent o~ the Polish people are practicing Catholics, there should be
no problems either with divorce or with abortion in Poland," and invited
the Church "to better influence youth" because "the atate cannot always be
responsible for everything."
In Poland~ 116 Catholic publicationa including papers and magazinea are
published. Minister Kakol himself provided us with this information. How-
ever, the number printed is always forcibly limited. Why? "Becauae there `
is a paper crisis," answered the minister of the Office for Religious Af-
fairs~ "and the printing limitations affect all, including the party's
papers. For 17 years I have directed a weekly Which deals in legal ques-
tions and I have experienced difficultiea of every sort with printing. My
mag,azines alWays sold out and I didn't even have one copy left cver. I had
to vait several years before they increased my printing allotment."
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Kozlowalci. is unable Co auppress a smile when we ciCe Minis~er Kakol's reply.
'We print 40,000 copies," he eaid, "half of which are ~old through aub-
scriprions. That leaves only 20,000 copies for newssCands, and if one were
~o realize that in Poland there are 40,000 eales outle~s, this meana ~hnt
we sell a copy for every two newsetan~ls, whereas we could easily prine 3 or
4 Cimes ChaC numb er. There ie no paper Thie is an excuse that can
be used with foreign ~ourna lista. We've had a paper criais for 30 yeare."
"The Church ia g unique inat3tution, a place where one can meeC and dis-
cusa iti is a sanctuary both for believers and nonbelievera," explained
Kozlawski. "Leftwing inCellectuala rediscovered it because Ch e auChorities
~ deni ed them the opporCunity to meet and express themselves. For many Af
them the Church representis a moral authority~ �or othera it represents a
polirical force. Elowever, they do not demand Chat the Church act directly
on the political plane, but rather that it fight for the recognition of
basic libertiea in an auth entically democratic, social and political sys-
tffl1. t~
PAX and ZNAK are two very different groupa, the former perfectly integrated
within the system and the latter officially recognized by Che bishopric.
According to Janusz Stefanowicz, it ia "idiotic" to compare the two groups -
in rernis of the biahopric's support or lack thereof because "with respect
to the Church, they are sutonomous and neither of them ia assured ofricial
_ support." Is it really impossible to hypothesize a convergence between the
two orienCaCions?
"Th ere is a fundamental difference between us and them," answered
Stefanvwicz. Those associated with ZNAK accept the status quo in Poland
as a necessary gvil and do not wish to became integrated in the regime,
whereas we believe that Catholics can modify the aocialist system~ but only
by acting from within. As it was necessary for Poland to proceed rapidly in
the modernization of the economic aector in the 1930s, so a great leap to-
ward a more open and pluraliatic society will became inevitable in the 1980s."
Answers Kozlowaki: "Our mentalities are too different. Mr Piasecki (one
of the founders of PAX- ed.), who died recently, uaed to look only at
politics, wanted to follow a political career and wanted to found the fourth
Polish party. In other words, he had a fixed idea in hia head: politica
and the participation in power. We do not have and will never have auch
ob~ectivea."
COPYRIGHT: 1979 Editoriale del "Corriere della Sera" s.a.s.
9202
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