| In Principle

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Poland adopted regulations temporarily restricting entry to Poland of non-Polish citizens.

On 13 March 2020, an executive regulation of the Minister of Health on the declaration of an epidemiological threat in the Republic of Poland entered into force. It indicates that in the period from 14 March 2020 until further notice a state of an epidemiological threat is declared in the Republic of Poland due to infections from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The result is, inter alia, suspension of international air and rail connections and a ban on foreigners entering the Republic of Poland. In turn, each person crossing the state border to return to its place of residence or stay in the Republic of Poland must submit to a mandatory 14-day quarantine. Its basis differs from general rules in this respect.

Numerous sectors of the economy have been paralysed. The problem is not just closings or restricted access to a range of services, but also absence of staff due to illness, quarantine or childcare. Consequently, businesses cannot operate normally or perform their obligations on time. A lack of supplies by one company often carries over to an inability of its customers to fill their own orders. This bogs down the whole economy. We await systemic solutions allowing Polish businesses to survive. But before they arrive, it’s a good time to examine the regulations currently in force.

Ministerstwo Rozwoju zapowiedziało, że opracuje projekt specustawy wprowadzającej kompleksowe wsparcie dla przedsiębiorców, których działalność zostanie dotknięta w związku z rozprzestrzenianiem się Covid-19. Nie jest jeszcze znany konkretny kształt tych regulacji, ale zgodnie z zapowiedziami projekt ma trafić na posiedzenie sejmu w dniu 25 marca i zostać wprowadzony z dniem 1 kwietnia.

Faced by the spreading SARS-CoV-2 epidemic, the Polish Parliament and President rushed through a Special Coronavirus Act. The act is intended to clarify and supplement regulations on prevention of the spread of infectious diseases in Poland. But by giving total primacy to protection of the public interest, the act ignores the issue of the rights and freedoms of persons subjected to various forms of compulsory treatment (hospitalisation, quarantine, and epidemiological supervision). Do individuals have any means of legal protection in this context?

From 1 June 2020 the regulations on prohibited contractual provisions (abusive clauses), so far applicable only to consumers, will in certain situations also apply to sole traders. This change will generate many practical problems.

Plastic straws, disposable utensils, and certain types of containers for food and drink will disappear from store shelves across the European Union by 3 July 2021 at the latest. The ban on their sale is one element in the EU’s battle with plastic waste flooding the world.

On 8 March 2020, the Law on special arrangements for the prevention and combating of COVID-19, other infectious diseases and crisis situations caused by them (Crisis Act) took effect. It introduced a number of provisions setting rules and procedures for preventing and combating infection and spread of the COVID-19 infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus as well as tasks of public administrations in this regard.

A new regulation, Art. 385(5) of the Civil Code, enters into force on 1 June 2020. It expands the application of provisions on abusive clauses to cover sole traders. This provision may have repercussions under the Contractual Advantage Act. The competition authority may treat the use of abusive clauses by an entity holding a contractual advantage in contracts with sole traders as abuse of a contractual advantage.

If execution or bankruptcy proceedings are commenced against the owner of leased or tenanted real estate, the lease or tenancy contract may be terminated early by the administrator or trustee. Rent paid in advance may then be deemed ineffective. How should lessees and tenants protect themselves when entering into a contract with an owner in poor financial condition?

Most businesses react nervously when they hear the letters “GDPR,” as in their view the regulation gets in the way of performing their day-to-day work, particularly marketing. At the same time, many businesses get lost in the tangle of regulations they are supposed to follow if they wish to lawfully direct marketing communications to individuals. What issues cause them the most difficulty?

Designing marketing initiatives in an organisation so they comply with the regulations, including data protection rules, can be problematic. The situation becomes even more complicated if marketing for several companies within a group is carried out by one of the companies, designated through informal internal arrangements (often without concluding any contracts).