Summary of the 60th Session of the Polish Sejm

March 26, 2018
11:33 am

During the 60th session of the Sejm, deputies passed ten laws, adopted two resolutions and elected a supplementary member of the State Court. The next session is scheduled for April 11-12, 2018.

Resolutions adopted by the Chamber
By virtue of a resolution, the Sejm established the Parliamentary Assembly of the Republic of Poland and Georgia. “In order to develop and strengthen friendship and cooperation between the Republic of Poland and Georgia, the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, acting in consultation with the Senate of the Republic of Poland, resolves to establish the Parliamentary Assembly of the Republic of Poland and Georgia. The task of the Assembly is to consider matters of interest to the Sejm and Senate of the Republic of Poland and the Parliament of Georgia, and to adopt common positions in this regard.

The deputies honored the memory of Henryk Sławik in a resolution. http://www.sejm.gov.pl/Sejm8.nsf/komunikat.xsp?documentId=320D7AD724799489C1258258006A177C

Laws passed by the Sejm. They will now be examined by the Senate
The House amended the Act on payment services and certain other acts. The act implements to the Polish legal order the EU directive on payment services (so called PSD2 directive). New regulations are to ensure greater transparency and coherence of the law in this area. The purpose of the changes is to develop non-cash transactions and increase the speed of payments made by users of non-cash money.

The Sejm also enacted provisions allowing for effective recovery of amounts of payment transactions made with incorrect payment account numbers.

MPs adopted amendments to the Act on Commercialization and Restructuring of the State Enterprise "Polish State Railways" and the Act on Railway Transport. The new regulations aim to facilitate the functioning of railroads and remove barriers by supplementing and clarifying provisions on, among other things, the construction of railroad tunnels and the operation of tourist and historical railroads.

Amendment of the Act on the monitoring system of road transport of goods and certain other acts. The main purpose of the amendments is to include in the monitoring system rail transport of so-called sensitive goods (engine fuels and their derivatives, including biodiesel; fuel additives; lubricating oils; de-icing agents based on ethyl alcohol; thinners and solvents; partially and fully denatured ethyl alcohol and dried tobacco). The extension of the current law on the system for monitoring road transport of goods to include supervision of rail transport and medicinal products is expected to lead to a tightening of the tax system and thus to an increase in budget revenues.

Thanks to the amendment to the Broadcasting Act, among other things, from 2024 at least half of television programs will be accessible to blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing and deaf-blind people.

The Act on the Code of Crimes has been amended. The purpose of the amendments is to adjust some articles to the principles of correct legislation.

MPs adopted amendments to the Law on Public Collective Transport. They bring Polish regulations in line with EU regulations governing the opening of the market for domestic passenger rail transport services, contained in EP and Council Regulation (EU) 2016/2338.

The law on court costs in civil cases has been amended. According to the new regulations, applications for claims from veterans and their heirs in cases for the protection of the image of the Republic of Poland or the Polish Nation will be free of court fees.

The Sejm has passed amendments to the Telecommunications Law. The changes are aimed at improving the functioning of the telecommunications market and make the regulations applicable to its participants more precise.

The Sejm amended the Act on the Prison Service. The amendment changes the system of recruitment, training, and professional development for Prison Service officers. It provides for the creation of a Prison Service Academy, modelled on solutions used in the Polish Army, the Police or the State Fire Service, which will educate future personnel for the needs of the prison service. The main goal of the changes is to improve the quality of education of officers and employees of the Prison Service and the selection of optimal candidates for service.

The Sejm has completed its parliamentary work and directed the following bills to be signed by the President:
The House considered the Senate's position on the amendments to the Act on financial support for the creation of social housing, protected housing, night shelters and homes for the homeless, the Act on the protection of tenants' rights, the housing stock of municipalities and the Civil Code. The Act sets out the principles for supporting local governments in creating a stock of rental housing and is part of the National Housing Program adopted by the government in September 2016. The program focuses on housing support targeted at people with low and average incomes who have so far been unable to find housing with rent that is affordable to them.

The deputies considered the position of the Senate on the amendment to the Law on Hunting. The amended act is aimed at strengthening the rights of owners or perpetual usufructuaries of real property when creating hunting districts. The act provides for, among other things, the possibility for the owner or perpetual usufructuary of real property covered by a hunting district to apply to the court for a ban on hunting.

The Sejm has considered the Senate's amendments to the Act on microorganisms and genetically modified organisms. The bill stipulates that in order to enter GMO cultivation in the register, it will be necessary to have the consent of all property owners located within 30 km from the outer boundaries of the plot where GMO cultivation is planned. In addition, the amendment requires the preparation of documentation that will confirm that GMO cultivation will not have a negative impact on the environment. It is also necessary to obtain an opinion approving the intention of cultivation, which is issued by the municipal council, county council and provincial assembly.

MPs considered amendments by the Senate to the Act on recognition of invalid decisions issued against persons repressed for activities for the benefit of an independent state of Poland.

The Sejm has considered the position of the Senate on the Law on Judicial Officers. The new law replaces the previously effective Act of 29 August 1997 on Judicial Officers and Enforcement with respect to the system and principles of service as a judicial officer.

Supplementary election of a member of the State Tribunal
The Sejm has elected Prof. Czesław Paweł Kłak as a member of the State Tribunal.

Current information and questions on current issues
The MPs heard information from the Ministry of Justice on persons serving prison sentences or in pre-trial detention who have been acquitted, and on compensation for wrongful conviction, pre-trial detention or imprisonment. The MPs' questions to the government representatives concerned, among others, the problems of maintaining adequate air quality in the country, the impact of bad quality fuels on the state of the environment and the activities of the Ministry of Environment in making the society aware of this issue, as well as the functioning of the "Work for Prisoners" programme.

Other decisions taken by the Sejm
The Sejm heard the report of the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Parliamentary Affairs and Immunity on plaintiff Dawid Jackiewicz's request of 12 September 2017 for the Sejm's consent to prosecute MP Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz.

MPs heard the report of the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Parliamentary Affairs and Immunity on the motion of private prosecutor Maciej Wąsik dated 12.09.2017 supplemented on 20.10.2017 for the Sejm's consent to criminal prosecution of MP Ryszard Petru.

The Sejm heard the report of the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Parliamentary Affairs and Immunity on the request of 20 December 2017 for the Sejm's consent to the detention and pre-trial detention of Stanislaw Gawlowski.