Poland has made a number of changes to its regulatory management practices since 2015, based on the new rules of work of the Council of Ministers, which was an activity within the Better Regulation Programme. The rules applying to the Council of Ministers which took effect in 2015 introduced public consultation as a general principle of the regulation making process, as well as requiring a consultation report. In the event that consultation does not take place, ministries are required to provide detailed justifications in Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA). There has been a significant improvement in stakeholder engagement with the general public via the introduction of a central government website; and the government also maintains an active list of participants who have stated that they wish to be informed about regulatory proposals.
RIAs are required for all laws and regulations. Changes in 2014 have included the development of new guidelines on impact assessment and the dissemination of standardised RIA forms. Ex post evaluations can be required at the request of the Council of Ministers or subsidiary bodies, and further actions in the area of systematic regulatory review particularly focused on cutting red tape are planned to commence in 2018. Over time, ex post evaluations could be broadened beyond administrative burdens and focus more on the total social, economic, and environmental impacts of regulation.
Regulatory policy requirements for the executive do not apply to laws initiated by parliament, which constituted almost 40% of all laws passed on average between 2014 and 2016. Nevertheless RIAs are expected for all legislative initiatives introduced by the Senate based on standards set by the Council of Ministers.
