flash news
A new bill on amending the Act on Foreigners and certain other acts has appeared on the website of the Government Legislation Centre. The scope of the envisaged changes has been narrowed, focusing on regulations concerning treaty obligations resulting from Poland's membership in the European Union as well as those resulting from the case-law of the Court of Justice of the EU.
Other changes, which were included in the previous version of the draft amendment (e.g. concerning the digitization of proceedings on legalisation of residence in Poland), are to be regulated separately.
This Friday, 17 May 2024, the deadline will pass for adapting workstations equipped with electronic visual displays to new occupational health and safety requirements.
As a reminder, if an employee uses portable equipment (in particular a laptop), for at least half of daily working hours, the employee’s workstation must be furnished with a desktop monitor or a suitable stand and an additional keyboard and mouse.
We discuss the other key changes here
Text of the regulation: >>>
The Council of Ministers adopted a draft amendment to the Law on Assistance to Ukrainian Citizens in Connection with the Armed Conflict in that Country.
The bill was introduced into the Sejm (Polish Parliament’s lower chamber) on 30 April. The most important amendments include:
- extension of Ukrainian citizens’ legal right to stay in the Republic of Poland till 30 September 2025,
- improvements in the system of support, specifically regarding accommodation and food for refugees from Ukraine,
- linking the 800+ benefit to compulsory education,
On 25 April 2024, following a complaint from the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that Poland has failed to fulfil its obligation to implement the EU’s Whistleblower Protection Directive.
EU Member States were given time to 17 December 2021 to adopt the necessary national regulations. According to the CJEU, “the wide scope of the regulations under the mentioned directive does not justify the lengthening time being spent on legislative work”. The CJEU also did not accept the difficulties that Poland raised in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic or the reception of war refugees from Ukraine.
As of 23 April, the acceptance of new applications for consular services for Ukrainian citizens, specifically men of conscription age (18-60) who are temporarily abroad, has been suspended, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reports in a press release.
The change is motivated by the need to bring the procedures in line with new regulations under Ukraine's Mobilisation Law, which are set to take effect on 18 May of this year. The new regulations are aimed at curbing evasion of military service. Among other things, they restrict the issuance of foreign passports without updating military registration documents.
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