The first deregulation package, which aims to introduce extensive facilitation for Polish entrepreneurs, is expected to be submitted to the Sejm at the turn of this and next year. It will come into effect with a six-month vacatio legis, allowing companies time to prepare for the changes. “That was our idea from the beginning: not to surprise the entrepreneurs,” emphasizes Dr. Mariusz Filipek, the Minister of Development’s Plenipotentiary for Deregulation and Economic Dialogue. He notes that the ongoing changes in economic law are not the end; the Ministry of Development and Technology already has plans for further deregulation packages. “We hope that the principles of the second package will be announced by the end of July, at the latest by mid-August,” he announces.
“The deregulation package has been in process for several months, and we are now past consultations, the reconciliation conference held on June 25-26, and discussions with Minister Krzysztof Paszyk. We want the issues raised at the reconciliation conference to be further discussed within the ministry and in inter-ministerial agreements. We aim for the deregulation package to move forward in the legislative process at the beginning of August,” says Dr. Mariusz Filipek to Newseria Biznes during the Forum on Financing Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises.
The deregulation of economic law and more business-friendly regulations are one of the flagship promises of the coalition government. The deregulation package meant to fulfill this promise was submitted for public consultation at the beginning of April and is scheduled for inter-ministerial agreement discussions during the summer. The Ministry of Development and Technology, which developed the new regulations, hopes they will be debated in the Sejm at the turn of this and next year.
“This package is continuously being processed and consulted with the entire business community, including various entrepreneur and employer organizations. From the beginning, our idea was to avoid surprising entrepreneurs,” emphasizes the Plenipotentiary for Deregulation and Economic Dialogue. “The feedback, in my opinion, is very positive, and the entire business sector is favorably inclined towards this package.”
The ongoing work on the deregulation package aims to improve the legal and institutional environment in which Polish companies operate. It includes nearly 50 solutions across 35 amended laws, including the Code of Administrative Procedure and the Civil Code. These changes are intended to provide significant facilitation in running a business, from starting up to developing over the years. Among the key proposed solutions are digital leasing agreements, long-awaited by the industry, the introduction of electronic promissory notes, faster administrative procedures, and reducing the maximum inspection time for micro-enterprises from 12 to six days.
“Each change introduced in this package is crucial for businesses. However, there are some standout solutions, such as the fantastic idea of making life easier for entrepreneurs with the so-called e-promissory note and e-leasing, allowing for electronic leasing agreements remotely, not just on paper as is currently the case. This will greatly simplify life for entrepreneurs. We also have online hearings before the National Appeals Chamber, which means they can be conducted from a computer in the entrepreneur’s own office, without having to travel to Warsaw,” says Dr. Mariusz Filipek.
He also notes that a desired change from the perspective of entrepreneurs is the requirement to provide a preliminary list of information and documents that must be submitted to the inspection before the start of an inspection. This aims to introduce greater transparency and predictability in inspection procedures.
“Entrepreneurs will no longer be surprised at the announcement of an inspection,” the expert emphasizes.
The ongoing changes in economic law are to be introduced with a six-month vacatio legis, allowing companies time to prepare for them. Importantly, the Ministry of Development and Technology already has plans for preparing further deregulation packages beneficial for entrepreneurs.
“We want there to be a second and third package, and we’ll see what comes next. We hope that the principles of this second deregulation package will be announced by the end of July, at the latest by mid-August,” announces Dr. Mariusz Filipek.
