| In Principle

For many years, the consortium has been a familiar form of cooperation between businesses pursuing public contracts. But this construction still raises legal questions, especially when a dispute arises and goes to court. Because this structure is deceptively similar to an ordinary partnership, sometimes it is unclear which members of a consortium may participate in court proceedings. The Supreme Court of Poland examined this issue in its judgment of 30 June 2021 (case no. III CSKP 75/21).

As the host of the procedure, in the contract documentation the contracting authority should specify the formal and technical requirements for a bid bond. In some procurement procedures, the contracting authority requires contractors to submit a bid bond with a validity extending beyond the bid validity period. In a recently issued ruling, the National Appeal Chamber opined on whether such provisions of the terms of reference are permissible, or are invalid by virtue of law (case no. KIO 3482/21).

Protecting consumers from unfair practices in financial services, telecommunications, and consumer sales. Early detection of bid ridding. Combatting payment gridlock. Implementation of EU directives and regulations. These are some of the plans for 2022 of the Polish competition authority.

At the EU and national levels, severe economic sanctions are in place against many entities, mainly Russian. After entry into force of the Sanctions Act (the Act on Special Solutions for Countering Support of Aggression Against Ukraine and Protecting National Security of 13 April 2022), first published on 26 April 2022, the Polish sanctions list maintained by the Minister of the Interior and Administration took on particular significance. The purpose of its creation is clear: to counter support for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Nevertheless, the criteria for inclusion in the list are not clear-cut, and the procedure for issuing a listing decision greatly limits the right to defend against wrongful inclusion, as Polish entities can easily be included in the list.

An act amending the Commercial Companies Code was published in the Journal of Laws on 12 April 2022. It establishes the rules for operation of capital groups in Poland and modifies certain rules for operation of corporate authorities. The act will enter into force six months after publication.

The management board conducts the affairs of the company, represents the company externally, and under certain circumstances can be liable to the company and its creditors. Management board members should act with due care, which corresponds to the standard of care that would be observed by a conscientious merchant in dealings of a given sort. Failure to observe due care can lead to liability of members of the corporate authorities—and conversely, compliance with due care can shield them from such liability. An amendment to the Commercial Companies Code will make certain changes to these rules.

Until now, corporate officers have had to act solely in the best interests of their own company, which has made the operation of corporate groups difficult. As of October 2022, it will be possible to issue binding instructions to subsidiaries affiliated with formalised corporate groups. What must such an instruction contain, can the execution of such an instruction be refused, and what if the company suffers a loss as a result of execution of binding instructions?

On 12 April 2022, the new Holding Law was published in the Polish Journal of Laws, introducing into the Commercial Companies Code new regulations on the activity of corporate groups, including the possibility to squeeze out minority shareholder’s stakes in subsidiaries.
 

The recent amendment to the Commercial Companies Code introduces a number of important changes for companies, especially companies operating within corporate groups. This raises the question of whether companies should adapt their corporate documents to reflect these changes.

The latest episode of News from Poland is devoted to implementation by Polish companies of sanctions imposed on Russia for its attack on Ukraine. This topic is discussed by Anna Olejniczak-Michalska from the firm’s Private Client practice and Łukasz Lasek from the firm’s Dispute Resolution & Arbitration practice.

Until the end of April, contracting authorities in Poland have time to add to their procurement documentation and competition terms and conditions new mandatory grounds for exclusion of contractors included in the sanctions list or whose beneficial owner or parent company is on the list.

Contractual penalties are a common instrument for sanctioning failures to perform non-monetary obligations (e.g. completing construction on time). Contractual penalties can be cut by the courts, but generally the Polish Civil Code indicates only the grounds for mitigating a contractual penalty. The details must be sought in the legal literature and the case law. Indeed, the regulations do not even provide guidance on how much contractual penalties can be reduced. Thus each case should be treated individually, guided by the principles discussed below.