Polish Parliament Holds Public Consultation on Cryptocurrency

The Sejm – the lower chamber of the Polish Parliament – has held the country's first public consultation devoted solely to digital currency and blockchain tech.

Organized by the Polish Bitcoin Association (along with MP Mirosław Suchoń and the government's "From Paper to Digital Poland" program), the event attracted about 70 people, including academics, public officials, industry representatives, legal experts and economists earlier this month.

Part of an ongoing effort to drive Poland's engagement with digital currency and blockchain technology, the event provided evidence domestic agencies are increasingly interested in the technology.

Alongside the event, a working paper was released that called for the Ministry of Finance to issue an interpretation on cryptocurrency taxation (for example, deciding whether to align with the UK tax body's guidelines from March 2014) and create a regulatory sandbox for startups.

During the meeting, the National Centre for Research and Development announced that it has received a grant proposal to co-fund the creation of a Polish blockchain technology accelerator. Additionally, several presentations illustrated how blockchain-based solutions could solve problems within Polish public institutions.

The meeting took place just a few months after the Polish Ministry of Digital Affairs recognized blockchain technology's role in the digitization of public services.

Further, in June, the Polish government launched a program that aimed to "find regulatory, legal and economic solutions" that will make it possible for digital currency projects to compete in the European nation.

Video of the meeting is available at iTV Sejm and bitcoinet.pl.

Krzysztof Piech contributed reporting.

Sejm image via Fotokon / Shutterstock.com