This article is a part of Poland Unpacked. Weekly intelligence for decision-makers
At exactly 8:00 a.m. on Monday, February 17, the initiative “Sprawdzamy (Checking it). Entrepreneurs for Poland” was launched. It is the work of a team formed around Rafał Brzoska, the head of InPost, with the aim of developing a bottom-up blueprint for deregulation reform in Poland. The request to prepare such proposals had earlier come from Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
“I will not let this go – because we have a historic opportunity to unlock Poland’s potential and put the country on a path of dynamic growth,” Rafał Brzoska said as the initiative got under way.
The results? During the first 100 days of the initial phase, the team received as many as 16,000 deregulation proposals from citizens. After removing duplicates, nearly 13,000 unique submissions remained, grouped into 33 categories.
“The first and crucial stage of the SprawdzaMY initiative has come to an end. Together, we have created a phenomenon that will, above all, change what we expect from the state – as citizens, taxpayers, and, above all, as entrepreneurs. It will also reshape our relationship with public authorities, restoring a partnership-based approach. It will eliminate harmful practices and rules – things that, as Poles, we have been waiting to see removed for many years, yet had come to accept as the norm,” Rafał Brzoska now reflects, looking back.
“The beginning of this journey was a phone call from Rafał Brzoska. That was when the proposal was made, and moments later, effectively, the decision for me to take the helm of the deregulation project. Work on the assumptions began immediately. Time was desperately short – just a few days after the meeting with the prime minister at the Warsaw Stock Exchange. Every day of delay could have seriously weakened the effectiveness of the entire undertaking,” explains Adam Malinowski, the coordinator of the SprawdzaMY project.
Here are the key findings from the report summarizing the first SprawdzaMY sprint, obtained by our editorial team.
What SprawdzaMY has delivered
The largest share of ideas collected by the team concerned taxes (18%), public administration (10%), and healthcare (7%). More than 600 experts took part in the initiative, working in weekly sprints and generating up to 50 fully developed policy proposals per week.
This was not a project for politicians or big business. Its leaders stress that the focus was on meeting the expectations of ordinary Poles. The outcome is precisely 488 concrete proposals submitted to the government, aimed at making life easier for citizens, entrepreneurs, and the public administration alike.
Transparency was central throughout. On SprawdzaMY.com, every proposal could be tracked, voted on, and commented on. In total, nearly 700,000 votes were cast, and close to 1,000 comments submitted.
“We had one fundamental objective, which also became the starting point for all further work. We wanted first to meet the expectations of one particular – but exceptional – social group. Not politicians, not business, not trade unions or corporations, but simply Poles,” says Rafał Brzoska.
A deregulation feat of organization: 600 experts and tens of thousands of hours of work
The team was assembled in just one week, while the entire Phase 1.0 consumed a total of 25,576 hours of work by experts and support teams – more than 12 years of a single person’s labor, compressed into three months.
A total of 1,183 deregulation templates were prepared, covering as many as 300 legal acts and submitted to all 19 ministries. The largest share – 18% of all submissions -concerned taxes. There is hardly a clearer signal that simplifying tax law ranks among the most important social expectations.
The oldest legal act for which experts proposed changes was the Code of Administrative Procedure dating back to 1960. Notably, one proposal calls for abandoning a principle embedded in the original Code: the two-instance procedure in cases where a decision fully – 100% - corresponds to the applicant’s request and no other parties are involved.
A new model of cooperation with the government
Proposals prepared by SprawdzaMY were submitted to the Government Deregulation Task Force, established in March 2025 and chaired by Minister Maciej Berek. Each week, 30–40 proposals were forwarded to the task force. During meetings lasting several hours, they were assessed and screened on both substantive and fiscal grounds.
Zdaniem eksperta
Expert's perspective
Deregulation and financial markets
The goal? To jointly forge solutions that will breathe new life into Poland’s capital market. SprawdzaMY has also put forward around 40 deregulation proposals focused specifically on this sector, demonstrating what constructive cooperation can achieve.
Our perspective went beyond the usual frameworks of ministries and officials. We presented civil servants with proposals rooted in close observation of everyday economic life and the realities of the legal system. These solutions would have been impossible – or simply unworkable – without our unique vantage point and without the voice of society being heard.
More than 62% of the proposals were accepted for further work – an unprecedented rate in the history of cooperation between society and the public administration. This effort has already resulted in 121 legislative drafts, 11 of which have been passed by parliament and signed into law by the President of the Republic of Poland.
Examples include reducing the frequency of business inspections, enabling remote hearings before the National Appeals Chamber (KIO), and introducing the electronic delivery of attachments to administrative decisions.
Warto wiedzieć
Good to know
The numbers that make a difference
- 16,000 deregulation proposals submitted
- 600 experts involved in the work
- 1,183 deregulation templates prepared in 100 days
- 121 legislative drafts, 11 laws already signed
- 700,000 votes cast by citizens on the project’s website
- 63% of Poles know what deregulation is, and 75% believe it will have a positive impact on SMEs
Changes are already visible
At the beginning of June, the SprawdzaMY initiative conducted a public opinion survey on deregulation. The report shows that 63% of respondents understand what deregulation entails. Over 66% believe that the SprawdzaMY initiative and its proposals will have a positive impact on the Polish economy, and 75% think it will benefit small and medium-sized enterprises. A clear majority – 62% - assess the initiative’s impact on ordinary citizens positively.
“As a member of the SprawdzaMY team, I see this project as a real opportunity to streamline and simplify the regulations that complicate business life – an effort we have long pursued at Konfederacja Lewiatan through successive editions of the Black List of Barriers. A substantive approach, a strong pace of work, openness, and effective collaboration – these were the hallmarks of three months of the SprawdzaMY initiative. Today, we have an exceptionally favorable climate for deregulation – an unusual moment when policymakers’ attention is truly focused on business needs. I particularly value the exemplary cooperation and the strength of a united business community, as well as the constructive dialogue with public administration. Yet we must remember that deregulation is an ongoing process, and especially now, it is crucial to continue our efforts – both at the national and EU level,” comments Maciej Witucki, President of Konfederacja Lewiatan.
Explainer
Konfederacja Lewiatan
Konfederacja Lewiatan (Lewiatan Confederation) is an important and influential employers' organization – a key lobbying group representing the interests of private businesses in Poland.
Proposals that could change everyday life
Electronic PITs and e-receipts
Employers will no longer need to send paper PIT-11 forms. All documents will be available online. This will save time, money, and paper. Similarly, the gradual introduction of fiscal e-receipts aims to reduce bureaucracy and simplify accounting.
Faster debt enforcement
Introducing a simplified enforcement procedure will give micro and small businesses a chance to recover debts more quickly. Currently, the average time from filing a lawsuit to debt recovery is 2.5 years, with enforcement success at just 14.86%. The new measures could cover 1–1.5 million cases per year and free up PLN 2–4 billion (EUR 430–860 million) in the B2B sector.
Silent consent from authorities
In France and Italy, a lack of response from an authority within a set period is considered automatic approval of the citizen’s request. SprawdzaMY proposes implementing a similar mechanism in Poland to curb administrative inaction. In 2021, 17,427 complaints were filed with administrative courts precisely due to such inaction.
Digitization of public services
Equal recognition of electronic and paper documents, integration of administrative systems, and the migration of more services to the mObywatel app—these are examples of digital reforms already slated for implementation.
1% CIT for social organizations
Companies will be able to donate 1% of their corporate income tax (CIT) to a selected public-benefit organization at no additional cost. By comparison, nearly 15 million individuals used the 1.5% PIT mechanism, donating PLN 1.9 billion (approx. EUR 410 million). In Slovakia, more than 50% of companies use a similar scheme, generating €50 million annually for the third sector.
Faster courts and divorces without court appearances
Digitizing court proceedings, remote hearings, and allowing consensual divorces without a court visit aim to shorten waiting times for judgments and relieve court congestion. In 2023, over 83% of divorces were granted without determining fault. Simplifying this procedure could relieve courts of up to 40,000 cases annually.
Who is behind it?
The project is supported by leaders of Poland’s largest business and social organizations: Rafał Brzoska (InPost), Ryszard Chmura (The Company), Małgorzata Adamkiewicz (Adamed), Rafał Dutkiewicz (Employers of Poland), Wojtek Kostrzewa (Polish Business Council), and Maciej Witucki (Konfederacja Lewiatan). All emphasize that this is not a political initiative, but a civic one.
“The energy and determination I saw among entrepreneurs and citizens engaged in the SprawdzaMY.com initiative were comparable only to the most groundbreaking moments in our history – 1989 or Poland’s accession to the European Union,” says Wojtek Kostrzewa, CEO of the Polish Business Council.
Expert's perspective
A testament to the strength of entrepreneurs
With just a bit of goodwill, we achieved a synergy that created a real opportunity to free the economy from bureaucratic constraints.
Finally, these three months have been a time of hope – that trust between authorities and business has been permanently restored. This trust is essential for the Polish economy to build competitive advantages. There is still much to be done, but the business community remains ready to act.
Poland in a global context
Poland is still at an early stage of the deregulation process, but it already stands out for its broad civic engagement. For comparison, the UK’s 2011 deregulation program analyzed 6,500 regulations, while Germany implemented a “one in, one out” rule, reducing companies’ administrative costs by 25%.
In Poland, in just 100 days, citizens submitted more than 16,000 proposals, and the project covered as many as 300 legal acts.
What’s next?
This phase of the SprawdzaMY project is only the beginning. Experts plan to monitor every stage of implementation to ensure that the original objectives are not undermined.
Further plans include an in-depth analysis of the most complex legal and systemic issues. Entrepreneurs also promise a comprehensive approach to selected areas that require more significant intervention.
Expert's perspective
Time for change
As Poland, we now have a historic opportunity to become the largest economy in Europe, and perhaps, in the future, a global leader. Our potential allows us to confidently build a strong position on the international stage as a natural regional leader.
I personally believe that our deep engagement in the deregulation project will help create conditions conducive to Poland’s economic development. As entrepreneurs, we remain apolitical and hope that our proposals will be translated into tangible legislative and administrative actions.
The Sprawdzamy.com website will become a tool for tracking proposals, consulting on them, and monitoring their implementation. Members of the initiative say that the dynamic, startup-style model will evolve into a permanent, structured, and systematic framework – while retaining the flexibility and agility that have driven the project’s success so far.
Poland has the potential to become a leader in deregulation in Europe – provided it does not squander this opportunity.
“Now the ball is in the political class’s court,” sums up Rafał Brzoska, the founder of InPost.
Key Takeaways
- The SprawdzaMY project has demonstrated that broad civic and expert engagement can generate hundreds of concrete legal reform proposals in a short time. Such mobilization not only produced 16,000 ideas but also enabled the rapid implementation of 11 laws signed by the President and the submission of more than 120 drafts for legislative work.
- The result is a set of solutions that can genuinely simplify everyday life: from electronic PITs and e-receipts, to streamlined debt enforcement for small businesses, to the digitization of courts and public administration, as well as the introduction of a “silent consent” mechanism for authorities. These proposals address the most common pain points for Poles and entrepreneurs, and their implementation could save time and money while increasing legal predictability.
- Social trust and process transparency encouraged more than 15,000 people to actively participate in developing deregulation proposals, while 500,000 votes and thousands of comments demonstrated that Poles believed in their own ability to effect change.