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Government splits Digital Services Act bill to bypass presidential veto
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ Poland /Elections & Politics

Government splits Digital Services Act bill to bypass presidential veto

From Rzeczpospolita · () Polish

Translated from Polish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Poland's government is splitting a controversial Digital Services Act bill into two parts to overcome a presidential veto.
  • President Andrzej Duda previously vetoed the original bill, citing concerns about legislative insertions and a perceived lack of judicial control over online content blocking.
  • The government aims to pass a minimal implementation of the DSA quickly, while a separate, more contentious bill on content blocking procedures will follow.

Poland's government has devised a strategy to bypass President Andrzej Duda's veto of the Digital Services Act (DSA). The original bill, intended to implement EU regulations for online content, was blocked by the president in early January. Duda argued the bill was "destroyed" by extraneous legislative additions and criticized the procedure for blocking online content as an "absurd" mechanism that gave too much power to government officials, comparing it to Orwell's "Ministry of Truth."

The situation where an official subordinate to the government decides what is permissible on the internet resembles the construct of the Ministry of Truth from Orwell's book '1984'.

โ€” President Andrzej DudaPresident Duda's initial reasoning for vetoing the Digital Services Act.

Six months later, the government has divided the legislation into two separate bills. The first, a "minimal implementation of the DSA," is expected to move from the Sejm to the Senate by the end of July. The second bill, which addresses the more controversial aspects like content blocking procedures, will undergo further work. This approach aims to expedite the legislative process, according to Deputy Minister of Digitalization Dariusz Standerski.

As with the first attempt to pass the Polish implementation of the DSA, today we are open to all remarks, proposals, and amendments. We will analyze every proposal.

โ€” Deputy Minister of Digitalization Dariusz StanderskiStanderski's statement on the government's openness to feedback on the revised DSA legislation.

Standerski explained that separating the bills allows for greater efficiency, as different discussions surrounded each topic. He stated the government remains open to all suggestions and amendments for the second bill, emphasizing the need for constructive dialogue. The urgency of the matter is highlighted by a recent report from the Supreme Audit Office (NIK), which noted that nearly 32% of minors had encountered erotic content online, and 60% of children under 15 use social media platforms not designed for their age group.

The projects were separated due to the efficiency and effectiveness of the legislative process. One concerns the designation of bodies, and the other concerns procedures.

โ€” Deputy Minister of Digitalization Dariusz StanderskiStanderski explaining the rationale behind splitting the DSA bill.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Rzeczpospolita in Polish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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