One should note that, in the area ofmaritime environmental protection and of liability for pollution, these matters are regulated by secondary legislation of the European Community, above all by directives and decisions. However, a special role is played here by international conventions. Among these are: the MARPOL convention 1973/1978; the convention on protecting the maritime environment of the Baltic (1974 and I 992); and also the convention on the law of the sea from 1982. Community treaties are a source supplementing Community law. Environmental protection is an area of co-operation between the European Community and Poland. It affects various economic sectors, and is an essential criterion in economic decision-making. The European Community's basic norms relating to maritime matters are: I. Council Decision 75/437/EWG on pollution of the sea from land-based sources; 2. Council Directive 76/160/EWG on water quality in bathing resorts; 3. Council Directive 76/464/EWG on the dumping of dangerous substances; 4. Council Directive 82/176/EWG on the dumping of mercury; 5. Council Directive 83/513/EWG on dumping cadmium; 6. Council Directive 93/75/EWG fixing minimum requirements for ships entering or leaving Community ports, and carrying dangerous or polluting materials. This directive reflects MARPOL requirements. 7. Commission Decision 93/550/EWG on the accession of the European Community to the Convention on the protection of the maritime environment of the Baltic from 1974. Poland is also a party to all the conventions noted above, and they are part of Polish law. In the light ofthis, one must note that the legal protection ofthe maritime environment and liability for its pollution are regulated in the same way in Polish and in European Community law. This is a result of the universal scope of international conventions in this matter.