The aim of this article is to present the analysis of chosen legal solutions concerning consumer protection in the touristic services market. The author tries to answer the questions if the actual status in this field is adequate to the needs of tourism market or there is a need of further changes. The main subject matter are civil law’s issues, especially those referring to contractual liability, it means liability for non-performance or improper performance of a contract – on the bases of both Polish civil code and tourist services act (for example compensation for wasted holiday). Contract content issues are also being considered, especially matters of abusive clauses. Part of the contemplation concerns terminological issues. The author claims that consumer protection act, that will apply from the 25th of December 2014, will not influence sphere of tourist services, because of its exclusion in this area. This exclusion is also included in an EU directive 2011/83 from 25th of October 2011. However, a new directive, which will replace a current one 90/314 from 13th of June 1990, can be of a vital significance. The directive will include some legal solutions that have not been regulated. In the author’s opinion, introducing new directive will not mean that a new tourist services acts will have to be enacted. The author believes that it is enough to amend an actual act from the 29th of August 1997, especially because the so far existing solutions of the Polish law concerning tourist agency’s client protection is to be acknowledged as sufficient.
The spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus and the related COVID-19 disease has had a great impact on the social and economic lives in all countries. This new threat, which nobody knew before, forced the states to introduce special legal solutions in the years 2020–2021, the aim of which had been to reduce the effects of the pandemic, not only medical, but social and economic as well. It is also related to the regulations introduced in Poland, the results of which will for sure exceed the very duration of the pandemic. The article analyses the regulations included in the Act of 2 March 2020 on the detailed solutions related to prevention, counteracting and fighting COVID-19 – the basic law for the fight against the results of the pandemic, as well as in the other acts of high significance to the responsibility for breaches of the public finance discipline. The vast part of the new legal solutions is related to the very fight against pandemic and the resulting limitations of e.g. business, educational and cultural activity. At different times and in various scope these are also related to the freedom of movement and organisation of family and official events. Apart from limitations, provisions have been introduced foreseeing compensations for specific groups of entrepreneurs who suffer losses due to these provisions. Next to ad hoc solutions, the new legislature has also caused deep changes in some other areas. The article presents the solutions introduced as a result of the epidemic that are of importance from the perspective of the public finance discipline, especially in the context of audit bodies activities. Beyond doubt, the regulations related to the epidemic will have an impact on the scope of responsibility for breaches of the public finance discipline. They will be significant to the audit bodies that operate in the broadly understood public sphere, and that can submit notifications to public finance discipline officials. The highest number of such notifications is submitted by regional accounting chambers, which is evidenced in the annual report of the Chief Public Finance Discipline Officer and other public finance discipline officers. The latest reports read that out of 1,807 notifications submitted in 2020, 441 were submitted by regional accounting chambers. The activity of the Supreme Audit Office is also visible here, as it submitted 73 notifications in 2020.
PL
Rozprzestrzenianie się wirusa SARS-CoV-2 i spowodowanej nim choroby COVID-19 wywarło wielki wpływ na życie społeczne i gospodarcze wszystkich państw. Nowe, nieznane do tej pory zagrożenie wymusiło przyjęcie w latach 2020–2021 szczególnych rozwiązań prawnych, których zadaniem było i jest ograniczanie szkodliwych, także w wymiarze społeczno-ekonomicznym, skutków epidemii. Wprowadzone w Polsce przepisy będą z pewnością wykraczać poza czas jej trwania. Przedmiotem opracowania jest analiza regulacji zawartych w podstawowej dla tych spraw ustawie z 2 marca 2020 r. o szczególnych rozwiązaniach związanych z zapobieganiem, przeciwdziałaniem i zwalczaniem COVID-191, ale także w innych ustawach, które mają istotne znaczenie dla odpowiedzialności z tytułu naruszenia dyscypliny finansów publicznych.
The amendments to the Act on the Supreme Audit Office – despite numerous significant changes – are not as deep with regard to the evidence proceedings as, for instance, with regard to examination of reservations. The regulations that were in force before proved, in the majority of cases, to work well in practice. It is rightly observed that, due to the lack of revolutionary changes in this respect, the practice developed so far in the use of evidence sources and evidence measures is still valid. However, some corrections were necessary, especially with a view to improving evidence procedures. The changes introduced in this area are usually well received, both by audit practitioners and authors of literature on the topic.
The issue of modification of contractual relations stemming from a public procurement contract has been constantly topical, both in practice and in theoretical considerations. Undoubtedly, it is one of such issues where disputable problems concentrate related to the application of the basic principles that govern public procurement. It seems that the discussion on admissibility of contract changes will become more intense as a result of the amendments to the Public Procurement Law, on the basis of the Act of 22 June 2016. In the light of these amendments, a significant change of the legislator’s approach can be witnessed, since a set of cases have been defined that allow for contract modifications. As a result, Article 144 of the Public Procurement Law has become a very important instrument for shaping the legal situation of the parties during public procurement realisation.
Development of artificial intelligence is a fact. Beyond doubt, we will be witnessing its constant progress over the next years. It is hard to say now where this progress will ultimately lead, but it is not an exaggeration to expect (and sometimes also to fear) that artificial intelligence will significantly change our lives in many areas: social, economic, and even personal. This allows us to reflect on various aspects of artificial intelligence development. Artificial intelligence can be used by humans to advance, but there are several significant threats attached to it. These mainly result from difficulties with controlling the processes and decisions suggested, supported or even created by artificial intelligence systems. For every observer and participant of social life, not only for a lawyer, it comes as the basic issue to put it in an appropriate framework of a democratic state. That is why the majority of considerations revolving around artificial intelligence and robotics (apart from strictly information technology related and technical issues) are related to the current and future legal solutions. These focus, in the first place, on liability – mostly the civil law liability – for damages, which is to ensure appropriate protection standards. Due to the broad scope of potential activities of artificial intelligence, we should expect that the issues related to its implementation, and later operations, will also become an area of the interest of Supreme Audit Institutions, including NIK. The article presents the impact of artificial intelligence on audit subjects.
PL
Dla obserwatora i uczestnika życia społecznego, nie tylko prawnika, podstawową kwestią w obliczu nowych zjawisk jest ujęcie ich w ramy właściwe dla państwa demokratycznego. Z tego względu większość rozważań na temat sztucznej inteligencji i robotyki (poza zagadnieniami ściśle informatycznymi i technicznymi) dotyczy ich działania w ramach obowiązujących i przyszłych rozwiązań prawnych. Koncentrują się one przede wszystkim na problemach odpowiedzialności, w tym cywilnoprawnej za szkody – chodzi o zapewnienie odpowiednich standardów ochrony. Rozważania można prowadzić również w odniesieniu do wielu innych aspektów regulacji prawnej, np. własności intelektualnej w kontekście powierzenia sztucznej inteligencji tworzenia dzieł o znamionach twórczości, udzielania świadczeń zdrowotnych przez roboty medyczne w procesie diagnostyki i terapii, kwalifikowania zgłaszanych inicjatyw do dofinansowania ze środków publicznych. Szczególnie wrażliwym obszarem jest funkcjonowanie szeroko rozumianego wymiaru sprawiedliwości. Ze względu na zakres potencjalnego działania sztucznej inteligencji można się spodziewać, że zagadnienia związane najpierw z wdrażaniem, a potem jej funkcjonowaniem staną się przedmiotem zainteresowania organów kontroli, w tym Najwyższej Izby Kontroli. W artykule przybliżono wpływ rozwoju sztucznej inteligencji na przedmiot badań kontrolnych.
The issue of changes in the obligations resulting from contracts on public procurement is constantly present in legal literature and judicature alike. It refers to both modifications related to the contents of a contract, and changes in the parties of a contract. The latter have been discussed in this article. The importance of the issue is unquestionable because, on the one hand, when contracts are realised it frequently happens that there is either an economical or organisational need to introduce certain modifications, but on the other hand, public procurement contracts are rigorously regulated as for legally binding modes of selecting contractors. Hence a question arises whether and on what conditions modifications as for the contracting parties in the area of public procurement can be regarded as permitted.
The article is dedicated to the issue of countersigning of some legal proceedings by the treasurer of a local self-government unit. Since municipalities are a frequent participant in civil-law proceedings, the issue is very important from both theoretical and practical perspective. The author pays particular attention to the significance of countersignature as for the validity and effectiveness of legal proceedings, he also discusses issues related to conclusion of agreements. This is justified by the scale and importance of bilateral proceedings. However, many issues related to conclusion of agreements can be applied in the field of all legal proceedings, including unilateral.
Food safety is an inter-disciplinary matter – it combines medical, agricultural, economical and legal issues. It also makes an important social problem. Among the legal issues, the most prominent ones include those related to administrative law, both with regard to the process of production and distribution, as well as to official control of food safety. The legal provisions regulate the issues of liability for negative impact of introducing dangerous food to the market, linked with civil liability and, in most drastic cases – with criminal liability. The areas that the article focuses on in the first place include civil liability, namely liability for damages.
PL
Bezpieczeństwo żywności jest zagadnieniem interdyscyplinarnym – łączy problematykę medyczną, rolniczą, ekonomiczną, prawną. To również ważny problem społeczny. Wśród kwestii prawnych na czoło wysuwają się zagadnienia prawa administracyjnego, dotyczące zarówno procesu produkcji i dystrybucji, jak i urzędowej kontroli nad bezpieczeństwem żywności. W przepisach uregulowano zagadnienia odpowiedzialności za negatywne skutki wprowadzenia do obrotu żywności niebezpiecznej dla życia i zdrowia, związane z odpowiedzialnością cywilną, a w skrajnych przypadkach – karną. Spośród wskazanych obszarów zasadniczym przedmiotem dalszych rozważań będą zagadnienia odpowiedzialności cywilnej, czyli prawa odszkodowawczego.