Poland’s deregulation drive: One year on

The deregulation team has reviewed half a thousand proposals. In some cases, to everyone’s surprise, it turned out that no legal change was needed because entrepreneurs were complying with… requirements that didn’t exist. Minister Maciej Berek promises continued work, including changes to tax regulations and acceleration of court proceedings.

On February 10, a year passed since the “Poland: Year of Breakthrough” conference, where Prime Minister Donald Tusk presented his economic strategy. Deregulation was meant to be part of it, and the prime minister challenged Rafał Brzoska, CEO of InPost, to present proposals from the business community. This led to the creation of SprawdzaMY – Entrepreneurs’ Initiative for Poland.

“The social side was supposed to prepare 300 changes, and the government committed to implementing 100 of them within 100 days. So far, out of 522 proposals submitted by the deregulation team and ministries, we have accepted 354 for implementation. The government has carried out 193 changes, and 126 are already in effect. We still have over a hundred changes ahead of us, but we will implement all those that have been accepted,” says Maciej Berek, Minister for Oversight of Government Policy Implementation and chairman of the governmental deregulation team.

Meetings at various levels were held two to three times a week. Some proposals were discussed multiple times.

Expert's perspective

It was a breakthrough

The scale of implementation demonstrates a breakthrough in the long-standing barrier between public administration and the business community. This is not a one-off project, but a process that is changing the way lawmaking is approached in Poland.

Our initiative has set a new standard for public dialogue: one based on data, practical experience, and a partnership with the government. If continuity in legislative and implementation work is maintained, SprawdzaMY could become a permanent element of the lawmaking system – having a real impact on the competitiveness of the Polish economy and the quality of regulation.

Rafał Brzoska

Founder of the SprawdzaMY initiative and member of its steering committee

One change, thousands of beneficiaries

Although some changes may seem minor or targeted, certain measures have a significant impact on a large number of businesses.

“The public procurement threshold has been raised from PLN 130,000 to PLN 170,000. We estimate that this will allow contracts worth around PLN 1.5 billion (EUR 320 million) to be awarded through simpler procedures. It will make access easier for many small companies. A single regulation can affect thousands of entities,” says Maciej Berek.

He also shares an example that highlights how some obligations companies were fulfilling had no legal basis at all.

“The social side proposed changing the rules on PIT-11 forms so that employers would not have to provide them in paper format. When we consulted the Ministry of Finance, it turned out – much to everyone’s surprise – that no such requirement existed. The Ministry issued a tax clarification: there is an obligation to make the form available, but no obligation to print it. Even if only some companies were issuing PIT-11 on paper, and it had seemed necessary, the proposal to remove this requirement represents a meaningful change for them,” the minister emphasizes.

In November 2025, the government also succeeded in removing, among other things, a rule that required businesses to print and retain every electronic submission to the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) for five years.

Instilling a new philosophy

“The sum of these small changes is creating a new reality. Now I am trying to exert an even greater influence on the state apparatus, through the Government Legislation Centre and the Prime Minister’s Office, to avoid overregulating the law,” says Maciej Berek.

He recalls an example from two weeks ago: at the Standing Committee of the Council of Ministers, a draft law was presented that would introduce a handling fee of PLN 2.56 (EUR 0.55) per a procedure, subject to annual indexation.

“Do we really need to regulate this at the level of law? Overregulated drafts keep appearing. We need to change the mindset of bureaucrats. We want to instill a change in the philosophy of lawmaking,” the minister announces.

Expert's perspoective

A broad ecosystem

Deregulation and legal simplification are complex processes that require not only expert knowledge but also an understanding of the realities of economic, social, and administrative life. Experience over recent years shows that effective change cannot be developed in isolation or within narrow working groups.

The foundation of the SprawdzaMY Initiative is a broad ecosystem of collaboration, in which each participant brings unique value. Only by combining different perspectives can real barriers be identified and solutions designed that are both substantive and socially acceptable.

Joanna Makowiecka-Gatza

President of Employers of Poland (Pracodawcy RP) and member of the Steering Committee of the SprawdzaMY initiative

More silent consent

Work is currently underway on a proposal concerning silent consent.

“I’m keeping my finger on the pulse and I won’t let go. This is a clear example of the clash between bureaucrats’ and entrepreneurs’ mindsets. The social side proposed that any lack of response should be considered consent. That sounds appealing in academic debate. However, we asked the ministries to identify procedures where such a principle could be introduced. They weren’t entirely willing. The Government Legislation Centre (RCL) then prepared several dozen changes. A few ministries requested that these be removed from the plans, arguing it’s impossible for authorities to meet statutory deadlines. I don’t agree. In such cases, we must extend the deadlines,” says Maciej Berek.

Silent consent is already in effect in a few procedures and will appear in a dozen more.

“In the coming weeks, we will discuss at the Council of Ministers whether we can go further,” the minister announces.

Expert's perspective

Listening to entrepreneurs

The model adopted in SprawdzaMY clearly separates roles: the initiative’s team is responsible for identifying barriers and preparing substantive deregulation proposals, while responsibility for their further progress lies with the Government Deregulation Team, working in collaboration with the Government Legislation Centre and the relevant ministries. Such continuity in oversight increases the likelihood that bottom-up proposals will not disappear into administrative channels.

This approach strengthens the transparency of the process and reduces the risk of social consultations being reduced to a merely symbolic role.

Wojciech Kostrzewa

Member of the Steering Committee of the SprawdzaMY initiative

No changes in migration policy

The government rejected some proposals.

“We could not agree to changes that would lead to significant budgetary shortfalls, as there is no room for that. We also opposed proposals that conflicted with other documents, for example regarding the employment of foreign nationals. We had to deal with hundreds of abuses in the visa issuance process first. Only once we have this under control will we address these needs. Our priority is smart migration,” emphasized Minister Berek.

He notes that several ministries are collecting data on migration. However, there is currently no date set for any change in government policy on this issue.

“At the moment, I don’t see such a prospect. Security issues remain a priority. We understand the needs of the labor market. However, the return of Poles and Poland’s positive reception in other countries could trigger an inflow of workers from directions other than those seen previously,” the minister adds.

Government or presidential objections

There will also be no simplified procedure for installing electric vehicle chargers in multi-car garages.

“We held several meetings and invited experts. Ultimately, we accepted the Fire Service’s position, which holds that such installations require very precise technical oversight. The social side accepted these arguments,” says Maciej Berek.

Eighteen changes did not come into effect because the president vetoed them.

“This surprised us. We were very careful to implement non-political proposals. Among those blocked were a simplified electricity bill, raising the power threshold for photovoltaic installations requiring approval, and lower penalties for accounting errors. In the last case, the president argued that the government is responsible for tax collection and cannot allow anyone to defraud the state. I see no connection – these sanctions are excessive, and accounting errors do not reduce tax revenues,” says Maciej Berek.

He adds that the government will try to reintroduce these changes.

What’s next for the government?

Following what he calls Deregulation 1.0, Minister Berek is announcing Deregulation 2.0.

“At the Prime Minister’s Office, under my chairmanship, two working groups are addressing two major topics: changes to tax law and the acceleration of court proceedings. Regarding taxes: it would be ideal to draft a new VAT law, but that cannot be done in just a few months. Several issues have already been agreed with the Ministry of Finance, and these will not be mere minor adjustments. We have this year to prepare the changes, and there is still a realistic window to implement them during this parliamentary term,” says Maciej Berek.

Expert's perspective

Harnessing the potential

The SprawdzaMY initiative demonstrates that citizens and entrepreneurs can have a real influence on the shape of the law – provided that durable, institutional mechanisms for dialogue with public administration are established. The scale of engagement – over 16,000 proposals submitted, hundreds of experts involved, and hundreds of thousands of votes cast – confirms that there is enormous, untapped potential for social participation in the lawmaking process.

Ryszard Chmura

Member of the Steering Committee of the SprawdzaMY initiative

He announces that the Ministry of Development and Technology will prepare two to four deregulation packages each year, each containing a dozen or so changes.

“If the work is delayed, we will make use of our powers,” says Maciej Berek.

Key Takeaways

1. Minister Berek announces continued deregulation efforts and a push to change bureaucrats’ mindsets. He also reveals that, at the Prime Minister’s Office, working groups will begin next week focusing on changes to tax law and the acceleration of court procedures. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Development and Technology will prepare annual deregulation packages.
2. On February 10, it marked one year since the conference where Prime Minister Donald Tusk invited entrepreneurs to submit deregulation proposals. The social side was to prepare 300 changes, and the government committed to implementing 100 within 100 days. So far, of 522 proposals submitted by the deregulation team and ministries, the government has accepted 354 for implementation, carried out 193 changes, and 126 have already come into effect. Maciej Berek, Minister for Oversight of Government Policy Implementation and chair of the governmental deregulation team, promises to implement all accepted proposals.
3. Meetings at various levels were held two to three times a week, with some proposals discussed multiple times. Some were rejected by the government. Minister Berek explains that these were proposals that would have reduced budget revenues or conflicted with the government’s adopted policy. This includes, for example, migration policy, which currently restricts access to visas, with no changes planned in the near future.