| In Principle

How we treat foreign investors and traders in Europe is not just a matter of their rights. It is also a matter of our rights and interests. Whether we, as Europeans, can buy electronics from Chinese manufacturers is as much a matter of these manufacturers’ freedom to operate on the European market as it is a matter of our freedom to choose suppliers and to engage in trade with whom we want. Whether European contractors must compete with their Turkish counterparts for public infrastructure works in the EU is as much a matter of the Turks’ freedom to provide their services to European governments as it is a matter of our right to have our public funds spent efficiently. Obviously, these rights and freedoms are not absolute and can be limited for the sake of other important values. But the decision to do so is a consequential one.

This is the first edition of a report devoted to extradition practice in Poland, in the years 2022–2024. For many months we collected and analysed statistics and decisions by the courts and prosecutors’ offices in extradition cases. Our aim was to form a picture of how this institution functions in practice. 

A lot has happened in the area of environmental law in Poland in the past few months. We have learned the levels of environmental fees for 2026 and the rates for fines for emission of excess noise for 2026. Proposals have been released for a new Act on Packaging and Waste Packaging and an amendment of the provisions on the operations of the Inspectorate for Environmental Protection. And work is now complete at the EU level on provisions for reducing food waste and for handling textile waste.

The amendment to the Waste Framework Directive extending the responsibility of producers of textile products, and also setting targets for reducing food waste, enters into force on 16 October 2025. Poland will have until 17 June 2027 to implement the new provisions. But businesses need to be prepared even earlier.

It is with a tear in my eye that I recall the era of M&A deals where at the closing, the seller delivered stock certificates to the buyer. The revolutionary change in this respect came with the 2021 amendment to the Commercial Companies Code, introducing mandatory dematerialisation of shares. Now the changes are going even further.


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Shareholders of a public company can take part in the general meeting of shareholders personally at the location where the meeting is held, via electronic communications, or by mail balloting. What is mail balloting, and why is this method of voting at general meetings so rarely used in public companies?

The opportunities for using public-private partnerships in the Polish defence sector are attracting greater and greater attention. This is particularly evident in the context of the current challenges in implementing the Pact for the Security of Poland—Central Pomerania and the recommendations from the European Investment Bank for execution of key infrastructure projects. The Pact for the Security of Poland report was announced on 5 September 2025 in the Pomeranian city of Ustka. This strategic document calls for implementation of key infrastructure projects, including upgrading of seaports, expansion of transhipment terminals, and adapting road and rail networks for military transport.

The defence sector in Poland and Europe as a whole is growing at a pace not seen for decades. Increased state budget expenditures, new financial instruments (EDF, SAFE, ReArm Europe, Poland’s Security and Defence Fund), and the openness of state-run entities to cooperation with private industry are creating genuine business opportunities for Polish and foreign firms. More and more businesses, including those in the civilian economy, are considering taking part in projects for the Polish Armed Forces or submitting bids in tenders for strategic supplies, services and infrastructure.

The Data Act became applicable on 12 September 2025. What do businesses need to pay attention to under this new EU-wide regulation?

Whistleblowing became a buzzword in Poland in 2024 following the delayed implementation of the EU’s Whistleblower Directive (Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2019 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law) (WBD). By September 2024, most private companies in Poland were required to comply with national legislation mandating internal policies for reporting and follow-up actions. At the time, many organisations scrambled to meet these statutory requirements—some were fine-tuning existing speak-up channels to align with the new law, while others were building a framework from scratch. The business press was flooded with discussions on compliance, and webinars and seminars on the topic were everywhere. However, much of the focus was on setting up reporting channels and policies, often overlooking the broader significance and long-term impact of these changes.

Today, 9 September 2025, an amendment to the Public Procurement Law entered into force which fundamentally changes the rules for access to the Polish public procurement market by contractors from certain third countries. The changes result from EU competition policy and judgments from the Court of Justice recognising this concept in cases C-652/22 Kolin Inşaat Turizm Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ and C-266/22 CRRC Qingdao Sifang.

On 25 August 2025 a bill to amend the Environmental Protection Law was posted on the Government Legislation Centre website. The proposal awards ecological organisations, among others, the right to challenge air protection programmes, revisions to such programmes, and sort-term action plans in this area.