Poland’s lower house of parliament, the Sejm, began debating four separate cryptoasset bills on Tuesday, while postponing consideration of a new proposal from the opposition Law and Justice party (PiS) that would ban cryptoasset activity in the country.
According to a local report, Sejm Speaker Włodzimierz Czarzasty said lawmakers will first examine the four pending bills before turning to the PiS proposal, unless the party withdraws it.
Ban proposal filed as existing PiS bill is withdrawn
The latest proposal was submitted by members of Law and Justice on Monday. It seeks to prohibit cryptoasset-related activity in Poland. At the same time, four PiS lawmakers withdrew their support for an earlier crypto market bill filed in April, which had been scheduled for a first reading this week.
The timing added to an already crowded legislative agenda that includes separate bills from the Polish government, President Karol Nawrocki, Poland 2050, and the Confederation Liberty and Independence.
Government and presidential bills closely aligned
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said last week that the government would reintroduce its cryptoasset legislation after earlier versions were vetoed twice by President Nawrocki.
The new government bill largely mirrors the president’s proposal, with differences centered on enforcement powers and penalties. Both drafts would create a regulatory framework for cryptoassets in line with the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, commonly known as MiCA.
The government’s bill would allow the Polish Financial Supervision Authority, or Polish Financial Supervision Authority, to impose fines of up to PLN 25 million for obstructing inspections. The president’s bill sets the maximum penalty at PLN 20 million. The two proposals also differ on when the KNF could request the blocking of cryptoasset accounts.
Czarzasty questions political influence
Czarzasty described the broader controversy around crypto legislation as “some kind of devil’s dance.” He also raised questions about alleged links between politicians and zondacrypto, one of Poland’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, though he did not present evidence of wrongdoing.
Among the issues he cited were campaign sponsorships, financial relationships with lawmakers, and allegations involving foreign criminal networks.
Tight legislative timeline
The Sejm is expected to hold first readings of the four active bills this week, with second readings scheduled for Thursday. The delayed PiS proposal to ban cryptoassets will only be considered after work on those bills is complete.
The outcome of this week’s debates could determine whether Poland adopts a regulatory framework for the sector or faces a deeper political fight over whether crypto activity should be permitted at all.
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