Polish Administrative Judiciary After 20 Years of Current Law on Administrative Court Proceedings

In 2024, Poland marks twenty years since the current law regulating proceedings before administrative courts came into force. This article will argue that while the model of proceedings still fulfills its task, amendments are needed with regard to structural and procedural aspects.

The article is divided into three parts. Firstly, the historical background of administrative courts in Poland is presented. The analysis shows that the latest law was a milestone: the previous regulations only provided for single-instance review of selected public administration acts.

The second section is devoted to the model of proceedings resulting from the regulation adopted in 2002. Its most important features are: the systemic separation of the administrative courts, the broad jurisdiction of administrative courts, a cassation model of adjudication, limited evidence procedure, and the two-tier structure of administrative courts.

The third part presents the challenges to be faced by the administrative judiciary in the coming years. Those are: the speed of proceedings, the digitalization of proceedings, and the question of expanding the substantive catalog of administrative court decisions.

In the conclusion, the author emphasizes that the goal of the possible amendments should be to guarantee a high degree of trust in court.