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ChapterI◆THECONSTITUTIONALFOUNDATIONSOFTHEREPUBLICOFPOLAND’S…
fromtheEuropeanCommissionandultimatelyledtothelaunchofthe
procedureprovidedforinArt.7oftheTreatyonEuropeanUnion35.
TheoutbreakoftheCOVID-19pandemicinthefirstquarterof2020
coincidedwiththepoliticaldisputethattookplaceontheeveoftheelectionof
thePresidentoftheRepublicofPoland(scheduledfor10May2020)andthe
reformscarriedoutbytheLawandJusticegovernment,especiallyinthe
judicialsphere.
3.StateofepidemicemergencyandtheConstitution
oftheRepublicofPoland
Astateofepidemicemergencyisanextra-constitutionalinstitution,definedby
theprovisionsoftheActof5December2008onpreventingandcombating
infectionsandinfectiousdiseasesinhumans36.Nevertheless,theintroductionof
astateofepidemicemergencyisanactthatentailssevereconsequencesofa
systemicnature,especiallyintheareaofrestrictingindividualrightsand
freedoms.Itshouldbeemphasised,however,thatastateofepidemic
emergencydoesnotmakeitpossibletosuspendtheconstitutionally
guaranteedindividualrightsandfreedomsbecausetheintroductionofsuch
restrictionsisonlypermissibleduringaperiodofextraordinarymeasures(i.e.,
martiallaw,stateofemergencyorastateofanaturaldisaster)referredtoin
ChapterXIoftheConstitution.Therefore,astateofepidemicemergencydoes
notqualifyasanemergencyintheconstitutionalsense.
Itisnonethelessconstitutionallypermissibletointroduceadditional
restrictionsontheindividualrightsandfreedomsduringtheepidemicdueto
thethreatcausedbytheoccurrenceofhumaninfectiousdiseases.However,
thiscanonlybedonebasedonArt.31para.3oftheConstitution(andnot
provisionsonextraordinarymeasures).Inthesubstantiveaspect,restrictions
mayonlybeimposedbystatute.Inotherwords,onlyrepresentativesofthe
Nation(deputiesandsenators)maylimitindividualrightsandfreedoms.This
35SeeR.Riedel,UnderminingtheStandardsofLiberalDemocracywithintheEuropeanUnion:
ThePolishCaseandtheLimitsofPost-EnlargementDemocraticConditionality,[in:]Towards
aSegmentedEuropeanPoliticalOrder.TheEuropeanUnion’sPost-crisesConundrum,eds.J.Bátora,
J.E.Fossum,Routledge,London2020,p.175etseq.
36Consolidatedtext:JournalofLawsof2020,item1845,asamended;hereinafterreferredtoas:
theactoninfectiousdiseases.
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