Facilitating Access to Economic Information

On July 9, 2024, the Council of Ministers adopted a draft act amending the Act on the Provision of Economic Information and Exchange of Economic Data, submitted by the Minister of Development and Technology. The amendment aims to simplify the regulations concerning the provision and exchange of economic information, as well as to regulate the activities of economic information bureaus – entities that collect, store, and share data on unreliable debtors. There are currently four economic information bureaus in Poland: BIG InfoMonitor S.A., Krajowe Biuro Informacji Gospodarczej S.A., Krajowy Rejestr Długów BIG, and ERIF Biuro Informacji Gospodarczej S.A.

What will change?

  The main changes to be introduced include:

• The obligation for economic information bureaus to publish their service price lists on their websites.
• Bureaus will be required to enter into the inquiry register information about the entity to whom economic information was disclosed.
• The requirement to register information about the recipient of the disclosed economic data in the inquiry register.
• The extension of the range of information that may be submitted to the economic information bureau to include the electronic delivery address of a non-consumer entity.
• The obligation to provide the representative’s details in the application, if the request for disclosure is made via, for example, a proxy.
• The possibility of access to economic information and the inquiry register data for entities such as the police and Border Guard.

When can we expect the changes?

According to the draft act, the new regulations are to enter into force 30 days after their publication in the Journal of Laws, except for the obligation to notify the bureau about access to economic information by another entity and to register that information in the inquiry register, which will take effect six months after the publication date. The Ministry plans to implement the new measures later this year.