The purpose of the study is to evaluate the public hearings’ role in law-making. The study addresses the problem of whether the institution of public hearing is an instrument that has a real impact on the law-making process. The discussion that follows takes into consideration, on the one hand, the theoretical issues concern-ing the institution of public hearings and, on the other hand, the Polish state’s poli-tical practice of using public hearings (based on statistical data on the application of this institution covering the fifth to ninth term of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland). The state’s political practice dating to this period shows that Sejm commit-tees were abstemious in using this instrument. Since the regulation’s entry into force on this institution covers the period from the fifth to the end of the ninth term of the Sejm, only 34 public hearings covering 46 bills out of 5855 bills have been organised. It provides the basis for the conclusions and propositions de lege ferenda.

Kosovo, as a peripheral country in the context of the EU integration process, remains a potential candidate country with one of the most isolated populations in the Western Balkan region. The citizens of Kosovo are still unable to travel to EU coun­tries without a visa. Unfortunately, this process has been a condition with Kosovo­­Serbia dialogue, facilitated by the EU. This article assesses the influence of both processes, from the internal and external perspective, on the contestation of the EU’s actress among different actors in Kosovo – political elites, experts, and citizens. An analysis of existing relevant research, statistical data of national and interna­tional organizations, and above thirty media articles published between 2015 and 2023, shows a decline in Kosovo citizens’ trust in the EU from 89% in 2015 to 73% in 2022, and lately a substantial drop with only 42%.

The intense development of nanotechnology in recent years poses the basic question about the safety of employees who work with nanomaterials. The study attempts to determine how employers should regulate health protection when working with nanoparticles. Employers should be aware of the importance of the risks associated with nanotechnology and their responsibility for worker health and safety. The study is a continuation of the author’s previous analyses of ways to regulate occupational safety and health in the use of nanomaterials. The author examines the theory of responsive regulation in the context of health and safety with nano-materials and the importance of dialogue in this regulatory process. The regulatory agencies should intervene in this area depending on the attainment of the assumed objectives of the law. The sense of responsibility for the effect could improve the quality of OH&S with nanomaterials.

The subject matter of the second part of the article (the first part was published in issue 1/2019 of the “Critique of Law”) is a continuation of the analysis of the impact of cultural patterns such as integrity, social dialogue, elimination of violence on the formation of the relationships between authorities and members of the state community.

In 2018 Student Services Employee Association (Stowarzyszenie Forum Dzieka na-tów) was established. One of its aims is to get involved in a dialogue with organi­sations and institutions dealing with higher education, in particular with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education as the relevant public authority. In this regard the Association proposed three amendments to the Act of Higher Education and Science in terms of administrative procedure, in particular: notice on initiation of procedure, simplified procedure and silent settlement of case, which were sub-mitted to the Ministry. As a bottom­up initiative of student services employees at HEIs, it enables them to get involved in consulting acts on higher education and proposing amendments to these regulations. This role of the Association is significant due to the fact that in many HEIs student services employees have no ability to provide feedback on the regulations that they are executing.

Theoretical foundations of the animal protection law remain in statu nascendi. The lack of an established dogmatic systematization of this domain makes studies focused primarily on a comprehensive discussion of its practical aspects, also contributing to the development of theoretical and dogmatic bases of reasoning aiming to solve the practical issues of animal law. For this reason, the Animal Rights. Practical Guide by Karolina Kuszlewicz is a particularly valuable book. The author addresses various problems of the legal protection of animals in a competent and interesting manner.
Many of her interventions inspire further inquiries or critical comments. At the same time, the book illustrates how the dialogue between theoretical concepts and challenges of legal practice can co-create animal law as an emerging branch of the legal system together with an accompanying realm of jurisprudential research.