Disruptions to supply chains due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, staff shortages, increasing inflation, rising fuel prices, wage pressure from workers, the war in Ukraine – these are just some of the challenges faced by economic operators. All of them significantly affect the profitability of existing public contracts.

Directive (EU) 2019/1158 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on work-life balance for parents and carers and repealing Council Directive 2010/18/EU, commonly referred to as the work-life balance directive, is due to be implemented into the Labour Code by the Polish government.

Arrangements and consultations on the draft act amending the VAT Act and certain other acts, i.e. the so called SLIM VAT 3 (draft No. UC128), were scheduled to complete by 26 August.

On 8 August, the latest draft amendment to the Commercial Companies Code was published. The bill implements Directive (EU) 2019/2121 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 amending Directive (EU) 2017/1132 as regards cross-border conversions, mergers and divisions.

Only a few years ago, Europe faced a major upheaval to the international economy with Brexit, i.e. the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union. This event, like the war in Ukraine or the COVID-19 pandemic, has had significant consequences for the global economy, affecting the quality of our daily lives.

Pawel Cholewinski has been appointed as the Partner in charge of Kochanski & Partners’ Transactional Practices group.

Functioning in an information society generates a number of challenges that both economic operators and private citizens must face. The foundation of a healthy system relies on the ability to sift true information from false, which today is becoming increasingly difficult in an increasingly complex and technological world.

On 13 October 2022, the Act amending the Commercial Companies Code and certain other acts (“Act”) will come into force. Companies, especially those operating under a management agreement between a parent company and a subsidiary, will have to reorganise their structures to some extent in order to comply with the new regulations.

Although the number of landscape resolutions nationwide remains small, an increasing number of cities are deciding to draft and enact such resolutions.

Natural gas as a ‘transition fuel’ for Europe on its path towards a zero-carbon economy was supposed to help gradually reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, this environmentally-sound objective now needs a second look, particularly when gas market developments may affect the viability of new gas-fired generation projects, and when permanent impediments to gas availability may even prevent their uninterrupted and efficient operation.

In a Sale & Leaseback transaction, a property used for business purposes is sold and simultaneously made available for use by the seller under a lease or rental agreement.

Under the CIT Act, taxpayers are normally required to file the TPR form and a statement on the preparation of the local file for 2021, by the end of the ninth month after the end of the financial year.

Bank guarantees are one of the forms in which economic operators tendering for a public contract may provide, the so-called tender bonds. The new Public Procurement Law, in force since 1 January 2021, has not significantly changed the rules concerning the provision of tender bonds (including bank guarantees) compared to those based on former legislation.

The incessant growth of WIBOR has become a huge problem for PLN borrowers, who are increasingly questioning the methodology for determining the value of this index. However, there is help in sight as the government is planning to assist, although the initial proposals were contrary to EU law.

Recently, rising inflation and increasing loan installments have been one of the most frequently discussed topics. The latter concern more than 2.5 million people and the total value of loans as of the last quarter of 2021 was estimated at approximately PLN 500 billion.

The Russian aggression in Ukraine has many people enquiring about the possibility of holding the Russian Federation accountable for the acts it has committed in the territory of Poland’s eastern neighbour. Yet, at this stage, what should be considered is not only the actual accountability, but also the ontological fact of the existence of liability, which is an inherent condition for the existence of law.

Former Arzinger Partner Markiyan Malskyy has joined Kochanski & Partners as a Partner and Head of the firm's Ukrainian Desk.

Former Maruta Wachta Counsel Jakub Krysa has joined Kochanski & Partners as a Partner and the head of the Public Procurement practice and the Spanish Desk.