Polish Sejm passes law to implement ECHR judgments

The Polish Sejm has passed a law aimed at streamlining the execution of judgments from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The legislation seeks to replace a 2007 prime ministerial regulation with a formal statutory framework to better coordinate public entities in implementing court rulings. Under the new rules, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will designate specific bodies to carry out judgments and monitor their progress.

Critics, including commentator Łukasz Warzecha, argue the law is a mechanism to force the transcription of foreign same-sex marriage certificates in Poland. While the law does not introduce same-sex marriage as a domestic institution, it addresses the recognition of unions legally contracted in other EU member states, following a 2025 Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruling.

Locally, officials in Łowicz have addressed how these rulings affect civil registry offices. Mayor Mariusz Siewiera stated that local authorities are obligated to process all valid applications according to existing law, noting that transcription is a matter of confirming a previously established foreign marriage rather than performing a new ceremony. The law now moves to the Senate for further consideration.