500 PLN fine and additional fees: Government cracks down on quad biking in forests

During Tuesday’s session, the Polish government will review stricter penalties for forest destruction, along with new regulations on vessel registration, document digitization, and film industry support.

Stricter Penalties for Forest Destruction

During Tuesday’s meeting, the government will address changes providing stricter penalties for forest destruction, including illegal quad biking in forest areas. Ministers will also review regulations to increase control over the registration of yachts and small vessels.

One of the items on the agenda for the 12:00 government meeting is a draft amendment to the Population Registration Act. According to the Ministry of Digital Affairs proposal, life insurance companies will gain access to the PESEL register regarding customers’ identity card data to relieve citizens from having to independently inform insurers about document replacements.

Ministers will also address a draft amendment to the Penal Code, the Misdemeanors Code, and the Nature Conservation Act. The proposed changes provide for stricter penalties for forest damage, including the misdemeanor of unauthorized quad biking in forests.

Currently, the Misdemeanors Code stipulates that a person who unlawfully enters a forest with a motor vehicle or carriage in a prohibited place is subject to a fine. The draft introduces a regulation that the fine will be at least 500 PLN if the perpetrator causes significant noise or destroys natural habitats and damages plants. Additionally, a supplementary penalty of up to 1,500 PLN is to be imposed for this misdemeanor.

Criminal liability will also be introduced for the theft of green decorative branches, known as stroisze, when the value of the damage exceeds 800 PLN.

New Rules for Yacht and Small Vessel Registration

Ministers will also work on a draft amendment to the act on the registration of yachts and other vessels up to 24 meters in length and the maritime safety act. The proposal introduces an obligation for initial inspections for vessels wanting to fly the Polish flag, conducted by a classification institution recognized by the European Commission.

The amendment will authorize the Council of Ministers to issue a regulation introducing a ban on the registration of specific vessels or an order to deregister them to increase state security in the currently sensitive geopolitical situation in Central and Eastern Europe.

It will also introduce a procedure for issuing permits for the operation of unmanned vessels upon an application submitted by the shipowner to the director of the maritime office, following an inspection to ensure navigation safety is not reduced.

Document Digitization and Legal Clarifications

The agenda also includes a draft amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure, which defines the scope of instructions given to the accused, victims, and witnesses during judicial proceedings, empowering the Minister of Justice to specify written template instructions.

The instructions determined by the head of the Ministry of Justice will be posted on the ministry’s website and translated into foreign languages most frequently used in criminal proceedings.

Another agenda item is a draft amendment to the National Archival Fonds and Archives Act. The project aims to recognize digital copies of documents as full-fledged official documents, allowing offices to limit paper storage and reduce costs.

Currently, if a paper document arrives at an office using an electronic document management system, a scan is made and the paper original is sent to a chronological repository. After the amendment, non-electronic documents can be destroyed after two years, and digital reproductions will gain archival and evidentiary value equivalent to the originals.

The proposed project also introduces the possibility for the General Director of State Archives to exceptionally award the honorary badge “For Merits to Archival Heritage.”

Support for the Audiovisual Industry and Brand Poland

The Council of Ministers will also review a draft amendment to the act on financial support for audiovisual production. The amendment is deregulatory in nature, aiming to simplify procedures and increase the efficiency of financial support for the audiovisual industry while reducing regulatory burdens.

According to the Ministry of Culture, the changes are intended to enable faster and more rational access to financial funds for projects genuinely ready for implementation. Changes include the possibility of using granted financial support as credit collateral and reducing the frequency of daily audience and ticket sales reports submitted by cinemas to the Polish Film Institute.

According to the agenda, the government is also set to adopt a regulation regarding the appointment of a Plenipotentiary for the Brand Poland, a draft submitted by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism.