General Proceeding

In a justification of each bill without exception its authors must include a declaration about compliance with the law of the European Union, the degree of and reasons for non-conformity with that law, or a declaration that the object of the bill is not encompassed by the law of the European Union. Prior to referring the bill for the first reading, the Marshal requests that experts from the Chancellery prepare an opinion as regards conformity with the law of the European Union. If those experts find non-conformity with European law, then an opinion about the bill is presented by the European Committee of the Sejm. This opinion is submitted by the Marshal to the author of the bill. The above procedure does not pertain to bills submitted by the President of the Republic and the Council of Ministers.

In the course of the legislative procedure involving the examination of bills by committees, it is obligatory to seek the opinion of the governmental European Committee. This opinion is attached to a committee report in the second reading.

It must be stressed that obligatory opinions are required also for motions submitted by minorities, amendments and motions submitted in the second reading, amendments proposed by the Senate as well as a report by the committee concerning changes in the text of the statute returned by the President to the Sejm for the purpose of removing non-conformity of certain provisions with the Constitution in a situation when such non-conformity was ascertained by the Constitutional Tribunal (and if the latter did not declare that those provisions are inseparably connected with the statute as a whole).

Approximating Bills

The bills, whose aim is to approximate Polish legislation to that of the European Union, the so-called approximating bills, are referred to the European Committee.

The Standing Orders of the Sejm require that the sponsor of the approximating bill deliver Polish translation of the European legislation to which Polish legislation is to be approximated. Before undertaking a consideration of an approximating bill, the Committee establishes a timetable of work on that bill. According to the Standing Orders, an amendment to the approximating bill may be introduced, in written form, at the sitting of the Committee by a group of at least 3 Deputies being members of the Committee (it also applies to the submission of the minority motion concerning the Committee's report). During the second reading an amendment to the approximating bill may be introduced by a group of at least 5 Deputies.

The European Committee cooperates with other Sejm committees and avails itself of the experts' opinions.