Interventions

Central Register of Contracts

For the past four years, we have been advocating for the law adopted by the Polish Parliament in 2021 — which requires all public institutions to maintain a central register of contracts — to become a real tool for overseeing public finances. In the meantime, another election has taken place in Poland, yet the law has still not entered into force, as its provisions are continually being amended. Most recently, the government proposed a drastic, twentyfold increase in the threshold above which contracts must be published in the register — from 500 PLN to 10,000 PLN. This change would mean that more than 70% of contracts concluded by local governments would not be visible in the register. That is why we were among the many civil society organizations that appealed against introducing this change.

Unfortunately, the proposal has been included in the government’s draft bill. As a result, we have launched an initiative to ask members of parliament about their stance on transparency and how they would vote on raising the publication threshold. So far, only a few have responded.

Anti-SLAPP Act

In April 2024, the EU Anti-SLAPP Directive entered into force as a response to the practice of suing journalists, activists, or researchers for criticizing influential individuals or exposing abuses of power.

EU member states, including Poland, have until May 2026 to transpose the directive into their national legal systems. We believe that merely meeting the minimum requirements will not be enough. To effectively counter SLAPPs, a thorough revision of Polish law and the adoption of more ambitious solutions are necessary.

We have repeatedly appealed to the Ministry of Justice, pointing out specific areas that require reform. Unfortunately, the draft law proposed by the ministry — despite several important ideas — has turned out to be disappointing.

Together with other organizations, we prepared an opinion on the draft. In our view, its biggest weakness lies in the fact that the provisions are too narrow and overly formalized, making them likely to remain ineffective and unable to offer real protection against typical SLAPPs. The draft also omits key elements, such as acknowledging the imbalance of power between parties, providing for fast-track proceedings, ensuring meaningful remedies for victims, or prohibiting public authorities from suing citizens.

At the local level

Our organization is not only about centrally coordinated activities run by the office, but also about the individual engagement of association members in their local communities. They monitor local authorities in various areas.

One example is Renata Szymańczyk from Włodawa (a town in eastern Poland, near the border with Belarus), who has been examining the way trees are maintained in her locality for years. She saw so many improperly trimmed trees — often nearly stripped of their branches — that she decided to investigate. She found out which institution is responsible for tree maintenance and began reporting every improperly pruned tree.

Over time, she also started analyzing the cutting of roadside trees:

Since I began paying attention to trees — because earlier I saw them, but I wasn’t consciously looking — I became concerned about the issue of roadside tree felling. A few years ago, along a road I often travel, all the largest and most magnificent trees were cut down. Why were these particular ones selected for removal? Who made that decision and on what basis? Does the person pointing out the trees have knowledge of their structure and physiology? I decided to find out.

This led to Renata’s report on roadside tree felling — and the right to information helped her gather the necessary data. She asked, among other things, about the qualifications of the people making decisions about tree removal.

Daily life at Watchdog Poland

In October, we summed up this year’s campaign encouraging people to donate 1.5% of their income tax to our organization. Thanks to the support of our sympathizers, we received over 1.4 million PLN. These funds ensure our independence and strengthen our mission: defending the right to information, promoting transparency in public life, and holding those in power to account.

This year’s campaign, run under the slogan “I know, but I won’t tell!”, drew attention to a growing problem in Poland — public institutions increasingly refuse to disclose information that should be available to citizens. They hide behind claims of “internal documents,” “trade secrets,” or “processed information.” The lack of transparency weakens civic oversight and discourages people from asking questions.

The funds we received allow us to pursue court cases when authorities refuse to provide information, offer free legal advice, educate the public about the right to information, and monitor whether public institutions comply with transparency standards.