Zdalny tryb pracy Sejmu i jego organów w czasie stanu epidemii

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic introduced a genuine threat to the possibility of the Sejm conducting its constitutional functions. The pandemic and the necessity of ensuring the safety of the members of the Sejm and employees of the chancellery of the Sejm compelled lawmakers to adopt appropriate legal arrangements in relation to the organisational aspects of the work of the Sejm and its official bodies. The amendment of the Standing Orders of the Sejm passed on March 26th 2020 introduced the possibility of the Sejm’s parliamentary sessions, the Presidium of the Sejm, Council of Seniors, Committees and Subcommittees to take place remotely utilising electronic means of communication. Parliamentary proceedings became conditional not only on the introduction of a state of pandemic, but also one of the states of emergency. The wording of the amendment detailed the new institutions and the legal bases of new procedural solutions (the Standing Orders of the Sejm, Orders of the Marshal of the Sejm) and recognised the practical problems associated with this mode of procedure.