Brand new or warmed up?

At the Law and Justice party convention last week, Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński announced that the government would do more for the country's economy. The following day Kaczyński took the initial steps toward fulfilling that promise, and presented the first part of what has been dubbed "Kluska's package" - a collection of bills aimed at simplifying business activity in Poland.

The government's proposal covers three broad areas: registering a company, regulating company inspections, and limiting the power of officers controlling business activity. According to the government, the time needed to register a firm will be reduced to three days, it will be possible to carry out all the necessary procedures in one place, and only one form will have to be filled out in order to establish a company. Moreover, inspections will take less time in smaller firms and it will be impossible to conduct them in the absence of the company's owner. Also, the number of permits required to start a company will be limited, and the vague rules which currently govern the issuing of these permits will be clarified.

The Prime Minister hopes the package will improve the conditions for business in Poland. "These regulations have tied business activity in knots. We want to untie these knots ... to start the march towards easier conditions for business," said Kaczyński.

The business community has reacted positively to the new proposals. However, they point out that the reforms are just a first step. "It is not about opening a firm easily, it is about running one easily. It would be very good if the second part of the package was revealed soon, and the government shows how it will decrease the costs of doing business," said Małgorzata Krzysztoszek from the Polish Confederation of Private Employers Lewiatan.

The proposals have not been without controversy, however, and experts are claiming that the reforms were originally created by the former government, and that PiS has presented nothing new.