Polish Government Criticized for Lack of Transparency in Legislative Process

The Polish government faces criticism for its opaque legislative process, where draft laws are increasingly appearing on social media platforms or partner websites before being officially published. This practice raises concerns about transparency and contradicts the coalition's pledges to restore predictability and openness in governance.

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If a citizen has to search for draft laws on the websites of social partners or portal X, and not in the official state system, it is difficult to talk about the transparency of legislative work.

A recent instance highlighted this issue with a draft law concerning senior co-housing. Interested parties, including the author, discovered a third version of the bill circulating not on the official Government Legislation Center (RCL) website, but on the portal of the Association of Polish Counties (ZPP), a social partner involved in consultations. The RCL website, intended as the central repository for legislative documents, only contained an older, second version of the bill, along with a statement from one ministry.

This situation prompts questions about whether citizens should rely on official state channels or actively monitor various websites in hopes of finding crucial legislative documents. The author points out that this circumvention of official channels, even if unintentional, negates any practical meaning of declarations about transparency. Minister Maciej Berek had previously acknowledged that a different project, concerning the State Labour Inspectorate reform, was not a model of legislative work, attributing it to prolonged committee discussions. He had also emphasized his commitment to transparency and openness in the legislative process.

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I had to upload another pebble into the government's garden. The issue concerns a draft on senior co-housing. People interested in the progress of work on these changes (including myself) might have discovered with surprise that there is another (third) version of the draft law.

The current coalition came to power on promises of restoring the rule of law, predictability, and transparency. However, the recurring instances of legislative drafts circulating outside official channels suggest that these principles are not consistently being upheld. This lack of adherence to fundamental rules of good governance, despite strong declarations, leads to disappointment and undermines public trust.

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The current coalition came to power under the slogans of restoring the standards of the rule of law, predictability, and transparency. Therefore, expectations towards it are even greater. Unfortunately, it does not adhere to the principles it considers fundamental to good governance. Once again.