Polish Parliament pushes major overhaul of alcohol regulations

The Sejm Health Committee has forwarded a draft to a second reading that would amend the law on sobriety education and alcohol prevention. The proposal, backed by the Association of Polish Regions (Związek Województw RP), seeks to double wholesale licence fees for alcohol distributors—from 4,000 zł to 8,000 zł for small operators and from 0.4 % to 0.8 % of sales for larger firms.

The bill also introduces a nationwide night‑time sales ban, restricting sales between 22:00 and 06:00, with limited flexibility for municipalities to adjust the window. It calls for a total ban on alcohol advertising, a prohibition of promotional discounts such as “buy‑6‑get‑6‑free”, and limits sales to plastic or glass containers of 100 ml or 200 ml. The draft incorporates amendments from the Left and the Poland2050 coalition and is now proceeding through the legislative process.