| In Principle

More and more companies from outside the EU are operating on the internal market—investing, acquiring local companies, winning public tenders. Until recently, they could operate with the advantage of support from their home countries. But now, under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, the European Commission can examine their situation to ensure fair competition on the internal market.

For a long time we have been tracking the work on amending the regulations on siting of wind power plants in Poland. In October 2024 we discussed a proposed amendment to the Wind Power Plant Act which would relax the rules for the distance between wind power plants and other facilities. In March 2025 this bill, in a slightly revised form, was submitted to the parliament and is finally being taken up. The key provisions are unchanged: the amendment is intended to expedite the development of onshore wind power in Poland, mainly by eliminating the “10H rule” and introducing a new limit of 500 metres as the minimum distance from residential structures. In this article we discuss the major differences between the current bill and the previous version.

On 16 April 2025 the Polish Financial Supervision Authority banned the Bulgarian company Insurance JSC DallBogg: Life and Health from offering mandatory civil-liability coverage for operators of motor vehicles in Poland. The decision was issued under the rarely-used procedure of Art. 214(5) and (4a) of the Insurance and Reinsurance Act of 11 September 2015.

Will the proposed Recommendations of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority on insurance distribution affect the activity of foreign insurers operating in Poland through a branch or under the EU’s freedom to provide services and passporting scheme?

Judicial cooperation between the member states in cross-border civil, commercial and criminal matters is vital for integration of European markets and creation of a space of freedom, security and justice within the European Union. To streamline access to justice, member states have implemented their own IT solutions, in turn creating a need to unify these systems at the EU level. This is the aim of the EU’s Digitalisation Regulation (2023/2844).

When there is a complete and irretrievable breakdown of a marriage, either spouse can apply to the court for dissolution of the marriage by divorce. But the court does not have to make a ruling on fault if the spouses both waive that option. A divorce decree without a ruling on fault has the same effects as a case where neither spouse was at fault. But what if the court does issue a ruling finding that one of the spouses was at fault for the breakdown of the marriage—or that both spouses were at fault?

To maintain the essential balance, I suggest sometimes taking a sceptical look at the tech rapture which we are increasingly swept up in. Then we will grasp that investing unheard-of amounts in the growth of AI and other digital technologies is not our most pressing need now.

On 2 April 2025, the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) published another update of the guidelines on the criteria and procedure for notification of intended concentrations. This time UOKiK clarified its interpretation of the “effects doctrine” (extraterritoriality principle) regarding joint ventures. As indicated in the communication from UOKiK, the aim is to reduce the number of foreign concentrations notified to the Polish competition authority.

The Family and Guardianship Code contains a catalogue of impediments preventing entering into a marriage. If a marriage is concluded despite the existence of impediments, the marriage is valid but can be annulled by a court ruling. Also, when declaring a marriage invalid, the court will decide whether the marriage was made in bad faith, and if so, which spouse acted in bad faith.

So far, geographical indications have been primarily relevant to just a few countries, such as Italy and France. But recent changes at the EU level are opening up interesting prospects for Polish producers as well. Below we write more about what geographical indications are, how the protection system has recently changed, and who stands to benefit from these changes.

One of the reasons people dissatisfied with their marriage decide to file for divorce is their spouse’s mental illness. As the number of persons receiving psychiatric treatment is on the rise, and the legal consequences of divorce are substantial, it is worth clarifying when mental illness is sufficient grounds for ending a marriage, and if so, which disorders would qualify.

W polskim systemie prawnym nie każdy może zawrzeć małżeństwo. Art. 10-16 Kodeksu rodzinnego i opiekuńczego wyliczają sytuacje, gdy zawarcie małżeństwa nie jest możliwe ze względu na specyficzne „cechy” osób, które chciałyby zawrzeć małżeństwo. Jedną z przesłanek umożliwiających orzeczenie nieważności małżeństwa jest choroba psychiczna występująca u małżonka w momencie zawierania małżeństwa, jeśli zagraża ona małżeństwu lub zdrowiu przyszłego potomstwa (art. 12 § 1 k.r.o.).