Vehicle liability insurance: Automatic extension of coverage, and withdrawal of an insurer’s licence to conduct insurance activity
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.
Draft Recommendations on insurance distribution and their impact on foreign insurers
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?
Cross-border litigation enters the digital era
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).
Divorce with a finding of fault—the legal consequences
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?
The blind alley of digital technologies
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.
Notification of foreign joint ventures: Another change in the UOKiK guidance on extraterritoriality
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.
Annulment of a marriage with a ruling of bad faith of one of the spouses: What are the legal consequences?
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.
Changes in the EU system for protection of geographical indications
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.
Can a spouse’s mental illness be grounds for divorce?
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.
Can a spouse’s mental illness be grounds for annulling the marriage?
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.).
How are works of art insured?
Insurance is encountered in many areas of life, protecting against fortuitous events by transferring risk to an insurance company for a fee. In this regard, art is no exception. But the procedure for taking out insurance on artworks has certain specific features.
The European Single Access Point—a new information obligation for insurers
Insurance and reinsurance companies should soon prepare to comply with a major new regulatory obligation, to transmit data to ESAP. The proposal for implementing this change in Poland has been released on the website of the Government Legislation Centre.
