Poland

Poland is a parliamentary republic and has been a member of the European Union since 1 May 2004, with Warsaw as its capital. It is outside the euro area and uses the złoty (PLN). In 2025 its GDP per capita was EUR 33,800, below the EU average of EUR 41,600, and it produced 4.9 per cent of EU GDP. Its legal system follows the civil-law tradition, and Art. 87 of the Constitution lists the Constitution, statutes, ratified international agreements and regulations as universally binding law.

The IMF's 2025 Article IV assessment (February 2026) says inflation had returned to target and names the fiscal deficit, projected at 7 per cent of GDP in 2025, as the main vulnerability, with public debt at 59 per cent of GDP. MONEYVAL's 2021 mutual evaluation lists tax offences, corruption, drug trafficking, human trafficking and migrant smuggling among the main proceeds-generating crimes in Poland's 2019 national risk assessment. It describes Poland as a transit country for illegal immigration and drug trafficking, treats casinos as among the riskiest non-financial sectors, and rated the effectiveness of confiscating criminal proceeds as low. Poland entered MONEYVAL's compliance enhancing procedures in December 2025, and a report of 27 May 2026 kept it at step 1 because Recommendations 5 and 20 were still rated partially compliant.

The Commercial Companies Code of 15 September 2000 governs the limited liability company and the joint-stock company. According to the Polish Investment and Trade Agency's 2023 guide, a joint-stock company has a management board and a supervisory board, while a limited liability company needs a supervisory board or audit committee only where its capital exceeds PLN 500,000 and it has more than 25 shareholders. Warsaw Stock Exchange listed companies follow the Best Practice for GPW Listed Companies 2021, in effect from 1 July 2021, and must disclose whether they apply its voluntary principles. The Central Register of Beneficial Owners (CRBR) under the Act of 1 March 2018 is a public electronic register, kept under the minister responsible for public finance, to which companies, cooperatives, foundations, associations and certain trusts report their beneficial owners.

EU sanctions regulations apply directly in Poland, and MONEYVAL found in 2021 that Poland implements UN Security Council resolutions 1267 and 1373 without delay through EU and national law, though DPRK proliferation measures could still be delayed. The Act of 13 April 2022 on special solutions to counter support for aggression against Ukraine adds a national sanctions list kept by the minister responsible for internal affairs, and makes the Head of the National Revenue Administration (KAS) responsible for national tasks under EU Regulations 765/2006 and 269/2014. Failure to meet the freezing duty can bring a financial penalty of up to PLN 20 million, and breaching specified prohibitions of Regulation 765/2006 is a criminal offence. GIIF also keeps a national list of specific restrictive measures under the Act of 1 March 2018 and must be told of any UN-based freeze within two business days. The sources reviewed do not describe how non-EU sanctions reach firms operating in Poland.