Reasons of problems of the polish hard coal mining in connection with restructuring changes in the period 1988-2014

The paper analyses the process of adapting Polish hard coal mining for steady safe functioning in the conditions of a market economy. The process of structural restructuring of the trade finished between 2006-2007 and had at its first stage (between 1993-2000) a character of crisis management. The situation could be a result of external causes, independent from Polish mining companies, as well as internal causes. In the paper the Authors review selected technical indexes of hard coal production in Poland between 1988-2014. The conducted analyses form a basis to evaluate the ongoing changes in competitiveness of Polish hard coal mining companies on the national and global scale. The Authors show external and internal strategic causes of the current crisis in Polish hard coal mining. They carry out an analysis on a micro and macro scale. In the summary they show that the current crisis in Polish hard coal mining is a resultant of many factors. Despite the fact, however, that coal will be a basic carrier in producing electrical energy in Poland for many years, the demand of Polish economy for Polish hard coal will decrease quickly.