A translator's mistake is costing taxpayers billions. What will the government do?

A translation error in judgments by the Court of Justice of the European Union is leading Polish courts and authorities toward decisions that burden taxpayers by hundreds of millions of zlotys. The mistake has already been officially corrected, yet the tax administration and courts appear not to know it.

More than two decades after Poland joined the European Union, Polish courts and public offices routinely rely on EU law and the court's rulings. That is especially common in areas such as taxation, where EU rules apply similarly across countries.

The article says errors have entered Polish versions of judgments in cases whose original language was not Polish. These are not merely linguistic imperfections. They can affect the substance of decisions made by courts and tax authorities.

The report asks what the government will do about the problem, which has already produced decisions imposing liabilities worth hundreds of millions of zlotys on taxpayers.