Abstract
The presentation addresses the question of effectiveness of the governance framework regulating civil (i.e. non-military) security in the Central European countries. Effectiveness is integrally connected with enforcement powers and capabilities.
Lack of clarity of actors’ roles dilute the overall effectiveness and often results in the use of informal administrative arrangements (Das, Quintyn 2002). Legislative framework is especially important as it formally delineates the crisis response framework and a delegation of powers among different stakeholders (Stark 2011).
By the same token, contradictions in legislation can significantly inhibit the effectiveness or even the state's ability to deal with a crisis (Farber, Chen 2006). Given the historical and geographical similarity of the three Central European countries (Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland), the differences in legal and administrative frameworks are highlighted and their implications for the effectiveness in civil security are outlined and discussed.