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Shops across Poland to remain open on Sundays ahead of Christmas

14.12.2024 15:12
Shops in Poland will be open on Sunday, December 15, and the following Sunday, December 22, to accommodate holiday shopping, as a project bill making the three Sundays before Christmas permanently exempt from the Sunday trading ban starting in 2025 is awaiting President Andrzej Duda’s signature.
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The bill also introduces new rules, including a provision limiting retail workers to two working Sundays in December and designating Christmas Eve as a day off for all workers. Currently, Christmas Eve is a working day until 2 p.m.

President Duda has expressed support for making Christmas Eve a public holiday but has reservations about the changes allowing more trading Sundays before Christmas. He noted significant alterations to the bill during the legislative process, which he said has left his stance on the law "suspended."

Since 2020, the Sunday trading ban in Poland has applied to all but seven Sundays a year, including the last Sundays of January, April, June, and August, as well as one Sunday before Easter and the two Sundays preceding Christmas. The law includes 32 exemptions, allowing trade in places like gas stations, bakeries, florists, and postal facilities meeting certain conditions.

Violating the Sunday trading ban carries fines ranging from PLN 1,000 to 100,000 , with repeat offenders facing potential imprisonment.

Source:IAR

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