Introduction:
Since the beginning of the eighties of the last century, national ethics councils have begun to arise in the world, supporting the authorities of individual countries in legal regulations of new issues concerning the protection of human life and life sciences. A project for an Act concerning the Polish Bioethics Committee that would be helpful for the government through competent opinions on ethical applications of new biological and medical achievements was submitted to the Polish Parliament. To effectively implement this mission, the committee will have to develop a statute establishing its internal organization and mode of operation. The aim of the article is to present the internal organization and principles of functioning of the Italian National Bioethics Committee (Comitato Nazionale per la Bioetica – CNB), which has more than two decades of experience and impressive achievements and could serve as a specific model for the functioning of the PRB. The article uses statutory documents and CNB reports. Publications and opinions of the members of the committee are also included. Analysis of these sources allows an understanding of the overall image of CNB, e.g. its mission, structure, principles of functioning, prepared documents, spheres of activity, and general specificity.The possible adaptation of the Italian model of organization and functioning would mean creating small work teams within the PRB enabling simultaneous work on several ethical opinions. Other favorable consequences of adopting certain patterns of CNB would be introducing differentiating procedures of issuing opinions, undertaking scientific and educational initiatives, establishing cooperation with national and foreign institutions and promoting Poland on the international arena. Key words: Polish Bioethics Committee, Italian National Bioethics Committee, national ethics councils, bioethics committees, bioethics