National minorities in the borderlands within the European Union on the example of Poles from Zaolzie Region

Abstract

The article presents the conditions of the existence of the Polish ethnic minority in Zaolzie Region. Changes in the ethnic structure of the region since its incorporation into Czechoslovakia are characterised. Reference is made to broader factors affecting the quantitative changes of the Polish minority in Zaolzie Region, and an attempt is made to predict changes that may take place in the future in accordance with existing trends. The author also characterises the institutionalisation of cooperation between the authorities of the Polish State and the Polish minority in Zaolzie Region.