President Nawrocki's decision to veto the amending law Traffic law has caused much more emotions in the transport planet than it might seem at first glance.Although the public focused mainly on bus lanes for electrical cars, this is the least crucial issue. The biggest problem is the registration of electronic EKMT permits and the extension of the validity of bus licences.
It was these elements of the Act that were crucial for Polish carriers and professional drivers, and the veto of the president caused the manufacture to be put at serious risk. Transport and Logistics Poland (TLP) is not disappointing — the organization clearly indicates that it expected a signature alternatively than a rejection of a bill that was simply essential for carriers.
The TLP underlines that legal bases have been called for for months to operate electronic ECMT permits. These are essential papers for carriers carrying out transport to 3rd countries specified as Turkey, Armenia, Georgia and Ukraine. As of 1 January 2026, all countries participating in the ECMT strategy are to control to electronic form, and this decision does not depend on Poland, but on the global Transport Forum.
In practice, this means that all European transport is preparing for fresh rules. The full thing — but us. The veto of the Act caused that Polish institutions have no legal basis to implement e-authorisation services, while the remainder of the countries are ready. TLP alarms: the deficiency of these rules may exclude Polish carriers from part of the global market, which is 1 of the most crucial sectors of our manufacture today.
The situation can besides affect drivers. If the carrier fails to get e-approvals in due time, the vehicle will simply not leave. The car will stay in the country and the driver – without a course. This is simply a real hazard of reducing the number of orders, especially for non-EU companies.
The TLP besides highlighted the problem of control services. ITD, KAS or Border defender must besides be able to verify electronic permits, otherwise the control of abroad vehicles will become a fiction. Veto has blocked these regulations, and this creates a hazard of unequal conditions of competition, as companies outside Poland will operate full electronically, and Polish services will not have the tools to check specified documents.
The second crucial subject is bus transport. The veto bill was to extend the validity of permits for regular national lines until March 30, 2026. Without this, any permits will expire by the end of 2025. If the offices neglect to make fresh decisions, many courses — especially in smaller towns — may vanish from the timetables. This will hit both carriers and bus drivers who may temporarily lose their jobs.
The President's Chancellery Communication indicated that the reason for the veto was the amendment to the bus transport improvement fund (FRPA). The shortening of contracts from 10 to 3 years was considered dangerous for little urbanised areas. The problem is that, as the TLP notes, this amendment was not related to the main nonsubjective of the Act, and its addition at a late phase of work should not block all regulations concerning specified key areas as the ECMT.
The full situation is further complicated by the fact that not all politicians stick to 1 line of argument. The TLP draws attention, for example, to 1 of the Members who publically supported drivers and carriers, pointing to the request to facilitate global transport and, nevertheless, voted in favour of solutions that could make this transport hard in practice. This perfectly shows the chaos in which the full manufacture is in – on the 1 hand, the declarations "after drivers", on the another hand the votes that work against them.
President's veto does not close the subject, but puts all work on legislators. Now 2 fast and separate laws are needed: 1 on electronic ECMT, the another on renewal of bus permits. The clock is ticking, and time is very little.
For today, 1 thing is certain: it is not the buses that are the problem of Polish transport. It is simply a deficiency of key rules by which dense goods and bus carriers can enter in 2026 with severe restrictions and any drivers — into uncertainty about the future.
Finally, I have a question for both professional drivers and carriers themselves. How do you view the current situation after the President's vetoe? Does anyone in your companies already talk about electronic EKMT, expired bus permits and possible changes since 2026? Or is it that everyone pretends that there is no subject — as in many cases in Polish transport? Let me know what it looks like from your perspective. Your opinions are the best origin of real cognition from the area.
Sources: tlp.org.pl / president.pl
