Poland - internal market

Short-term priorities:

• mainly in the field of certification and standardisation (continued alignment of regulatory measures and conclusion of a European Conformity Assessment Agreement);
• continued alignment of intellectual and industrial property law and public contracts;
• strengthening the regulatory authority and completing the inventory of state aids;
• liberalisation of capital movements;
• adoption of a law on state aids.

Assessment (October 1999)

Progress in this area has been very limited.

In the field of standards and certification, there have been considerable delays with the adoption of the New Approach and institutional bodies. As regards state aids, the necessary legislative framework has not been created, nor has an independent surveillance body been set up. There has not been any progress in the field of intellectual and industrial property. In the public contracts sector, the national preference clause is still in force. Poland has not yet adopted the legislation required under its Europe Agreement concerning the liberalisation of capital movements.

Assessment (November 2001)

European businesses are still encountering difficulties in gaining access to the Polish market. There has been good progress with legislation on intellectual and industrial property. Progress on the free movement of capital has been limited, but better on competition. A regulatory authority has been set up for telecommunications.

Assessment (November 2003)

Please refer to the fact sheets on the adoption of the Community acquis.

Medium-term priorities:

• alignment of legislation on public contracts;
• alignment of legislation on conformity assessment for financial products and services;
• further improvements in the field of competition, the audio-visual sector, land ownership and external border controls;
• strengthening standardisation and conformity assessment bodies;
• establishment of a market surveillance system;
• alignment of horizontal technical regulations governing industrial products;
• strengthening the powers of the authorities responsible for state aids and concentrations;
• promoting the development of enterprises, especially SMEs;
• alignment of the telecommunications sector, consumer protection and the internal energy market with the acquis communautaire.

Assessment (October 1999)

A new law on public contracts has been adopted and is due to come into force in 2000, but further legislative amendments will be required. A Bill on standardisation and certification is currently being considered by Parliament. There has been some progress with antitrust legislation, and the Government plans further measures to harmonise Polish competition law with the acquis. Legislation on state aids is currently being adopted, but there has not yet been any progress with aligning regulations on state monopolies. Polish legislation on the energy market continues to be brought into line with the acquis.

Assessment (November 2001)

Legislation has been adopted on public contracts. There are still obstacles to the free movement of capital. Work

has been done towards setting up regulatory and control bodies in the services sector, and the regulatory body for telecommunications is now operational. Progress has been made with mutual recognition of diplomas. The application of standards relating to State aids needs to be improved. Administrative capacity for customs and consumer protection needs to be further enhanced.

Assessment (November 2003)

Please refer to the fact sheets on the adoption of the Community acquis.

Following the signing of the Accession Treaty on 16 April 2003, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia acceded to the European Union on 1 May 2004.

REFERENCES

Council Decision 98/260/EC of 30.03.1998

Official Journal L 121, 23.04.1998

Opinion of the Commission COM(97) 2002 final

Not published in the Official Journal

Report from the Commission COM(98) 701 final

Not published in the Official Journal

Report from the Commission COM(1999) 509 final

Not published in the Official Journal

Report from the Commission COM(2001) 700 final - SEC(2001) 1752

Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2003) 675 final - SEC(2003) 1207

Not published in the Official Journal

Treaty of Accession to the European Union [Official Journal L 236, 23.09.2003]

Last updated: 19.11.2004