This is an initiative of the Ministry of Justice organized in connection with International Mediation Day, which has been observed worldwide since 2005 on the third Thursday of October. In Poland, for the third time, the observance will be extended to the entire week.

This year's observance, following the example of previous years, is being held under the slogan “You have the right to mediation”. It is worth recalling that the President of the Republic of Poland signed a law on September 10, 2015, amending certain laws in connection with supporting amicable methods of dispute resolution (the law enters into force on January 1, 2016). The direct objective of the changes is to increase the number of mediations in civil cases (which will streamline court proceedings—reducing the burden on courts and lowering court proceeding costs for citizens and the state), while the expected result is an increase in the number of mediations in other types of cases as well (criminal and juvenile cases).

The key changes include:

  • introducing an obligation to state in the statement of claim whether the parties attempted to resolve the dispute amicably before bringing the case to court;
  • strengthening the obligation to provide information about mediation and encourage mediation by the court;
  • the possibility of scheduling an information meeting or a closed session, as well as referring a case to mediation at any stage and more than once during the proceedings;
  • lists of permanent mediators maintained by the presidents of regional courts—permanent mediators will have to meet the conditions specified by law, such as a clean criminal record and appropriate knowledge and skills;
  • establishing the position of mediation coordinator in regional courts;
  • including the cost of court-referred mediation among court costs, with the possibility of exemption from mediation costs;
  • other financial incentives (a refund of the entire court fee if a settlement is reached before the hearing begins; an application for approval of an out-of-court mediated settlement will be exempt from the court fee; a tax incentive—if a settlement is reached, a correcting invoice may be accounted for in terms of income tax during the current settlement period).

The new law emphasizes the parties' priority in choosing a mediator, allows contact details to be quickly forwarded to the mediator, and enables a flexible approach to the duration of mediation—up to three months. Under the new regulations, if pre-court mediation is not initiated for reasons beyond the creditor's control, such as the other party not consenting to mediation, the creditor will retain the favorable effects associated with interruption of the limitation period for the claim, provided that a statement of claim is filed within three months.

During Mediation Week, police officers on duty will provide information to people who report to the Zgorzelec District Police Headquarters between 10:00 and 13:00.

Ministry of Justice/Zgorzelec District Police Headquarters/ii