ARTYKU Ł Y ZAGADNIENIA USTROJOWE ABSTRACT Marko HERNAIZ Uniwersytet Opolski KONSTYTUCYJNE PODSTAWY HISZPA Ń SKIEGO SYSTEMU WSPÓLNOT AUTONOMICZNYCH The establishment of democracy in Spain represented a long-waited conquest of freedom, after nearly 40 years of dictatorial rule under General Francisco Franco. The Spanish Constitution, born on 27 of December 1978, has designed an ambi- tious and complicated system of regional self-governance. Spanish autonomy level is one of the most developed in Europe, inscribing itself into the well known idea of the Europe of the Regions. The System of Autonomic Communities had also another important role to be played in the dramatic social and political history of Iberian Peninsula. The most important aim of the creators of the Spanish consti- tution was to establish a democratic, constitutional monarchy. A second objective was to facilitate Spain’s full engagement with the European Community. Those two aims were an interesting and necessary background to deal with the third one – the problem of the destabilizing and difficult to administrate Spanish regions and natio- nalities. This article examines the almost thirty year old Constitution and other ele- ments of the Spanish political system, particularly the most interesting mechanism of Autonomous Regions and its competences in relation to the state, themselves and other levels of administration, like provinces and municipalities. The Last part of the work describes the financing system of the autonomies, which is generally contained in a law of 1980 (LOFCA) which has subsequently been modified. K onstytucja Hiszpanii z 27 grudnia 1978 r. jest efektem pierwszych w historii tego państwa kompleksowych rokowań i konsultacji, prowadzonych wśród wszystkich liczących się ugrupowań politycznych. Dotychczasowe ustawy zasad-