From July 1, 2026, a series of regulatory changes take effect in Poland, affecting drivers, patients, healthcare workers, online shoppers, and the steel industry. The changes touch fuel prices, medical pay, prescription rules, customs duties, and more – directly impacting the daily lives and budgets of millions.
The most immediate change for drivers is the expiration of the „CPN” (Ceny Paliwa Niżej) fuel discount package, introduced in late March to counter the spike in oil prices after the Middle East conflict. Under the package, VAT on petrol and diesel was cut to 8% from 23%, and excise duties were lowered by 29 groszy per liter for petrol and 28 groszy for diesel. Price caps on fuel at stations were also tied to lower VAT. With the package now gone, analysts expect pump prices to rise by 30 to 50 groszy per liter and the previous uniform pricing across stations to disappear. – The removal of the CPN fuel discount will push prices up by 30 to 50 groszy per liter – said an energy market analyst. Also from July 1, drivers of vans with a permissible mass between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes engaged in international goods transport must use tachographs. This applies to nearly 40,000 vehicles in Poland, with penalties for non-compliance reaching tens of thousands of euros.
Healthcare workers’ pay rises and e-prescription flexibility
From July 1, employees in the health sector on employment contracts receive mandatory minimum wage increases of 8.82%. The lowest salary for specialist doctors goes up to PLN 12,910 gross, for pharmacists and laboratory diagnosticians to PLN 11,485 gross, and for intern doctors to PLN 8,458 gross. These rates are updated annually on July 1. In parallel, the rules for applying for sickness benefits from ZUS are simplified – electronic applications are now fully equivalent to paper ones. – The electronic submission of benefit claims is considered legally valid, just like a paper document signed by the insured person – the Social Insurance Institution stated. Another major change for patients: e-prescriptions can now be partially filled at different pharmacies. The Center for e-Health has launched this option, although pharmacy participation is voluntary. This allows patients to collect medications gradually, especially useful for expensive or hard-to-find drugs.
New customs charges, steel protection, and heating voucher scheme
Online shoppers ordering from platforms outside the EU will face a new fee. From July 1, the customs exemption for small parcels is abolished, and a flat duty of EUR 3 applies to each item in a package. In many cases, this additional cost may exceed the product’s value itself. The EU also introduces new measures to protect its steel industry from global overcapacity, including reduced duty-free import quotas. Importantly, access for Ukrainian steel to the EU market is also limited. On the household front, from July 1, applications open for the heating voucher (bon ciepłowniczy) for the period January 1 to December 31, 2026. Eligible are households paying more than PLN 170 per GJ for district heating and meeting strict income criteria. This aims to support those hardest hit by rising energy costs.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. PAP/Radek Pietruszka
