Agencja Nieruchomości Rolnych jako powiernik Skarbu Państwa

Abstract

On 1st January 1992, the Act on management of agricultural land owned by the State Treasury of 19th October 1991 (hereinafter referred to as the Act) came into effect, which introduced new legal regulations concerning the principles of management of property owned by the State Treasury with reference to agricultural land and other kinds of real estate as well as property left after liquidation of state agricultural enterprises (Polish: państwowe przedsiębiorstwo gospodarki rolnej; hereinafter referred to as ppgr), real estates which on the day of the Act’s coming into effect were under management of state organisational units as well as real estate in perpetual usufruct by natural and legal persons; in usufruct or beneficial estate by natural persons, legal persons and other organisational units; in the State Land Fund. With this Act the process of changes in the structure of ownership of agricultural real estate began, real estate that had been taken over to the benefit of the State Treasury on grounds of the decree on agricultural reform of 6th September 1944, as well as on grounds of other legal titles (e.g. in exchange for allowance or retirement pension, or taken over by the state by way of other titles on grounds of later legal acts). In order to accomplish the goal of introducing changes in the structure of ownership of agricultural real estate by virtue of the Act of 19th October 1991, the Agricultural Property of the State Treasury Agency was established. The Agency was invested with attributes of a state–owned legal person, which the State Treasury in accordance with art. 5 of the Act entrusted with exercising ownership rights and other property rights to the benefit of the State Treasury in relation to the aforementioned property. As a consequence whereof, on the day of the Act’s coming into effect, i.e. on 1st January 1992, the Agency entered into possession of elements of property of the State Treasury it was entrusted with (above all property left after liquidation of state agricultural enterprises), and exercises on its own behalf the rights and obligations related to them towards third parties, as well as on its own behalf exercises public law liabilities related to these elements, and liabilities resulting from administrative decisions. The Agency also inherited the liabilities of ppgr, what is to be considered an exception to the principle voiced in the Civil Code that state–owned legal persons are not responsible for the liabilities of the State Treasury. Thus the Act on management of agricultural land owned by the State Treasury, being a unique legal instrument, modifies the ruling of art. 40 § 1 of the Civil Code. The Agency is only a trust institution of the State Treasury, an institution which is the administrator of the right the State Treasury is entitled to. In no way is the Agency entitled to property rights in relation to property entrusted to it, whereas the State Treasury in no way ceases to hold ownership of the property entrusted to the Agency. However, one has to assume that the Agency is entitled, in relation to the property entrusted to it, to any and all rights listed in art. 140 of the Civil Code. The activity of the Agency as trustee constitutes, in a sense, a statutory specification of tasks of the administrative body that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is. However, describing the Agency as a unique state–owned legal person seems most appropriate, a state–owned legal person executing statutory and public administration tasks, including appointed to it public administration functions. Executing the tasks imposed on it by the legislators, the Agency not only makes use of civil law, but also of administrative law mechanisms.