THE 2026 AMENDMENT TO THE CRISIS MANAGEMENT ACT AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE FOR ENSURING SECURITY IN POLAND

This article examines changes to crisis management in Poland resulting from the Act of 29 May 2026 amending the Crisis Management Act and some other acts. The study’s primary objective was to determine the nature and scope of the changes introduced by the 2026 amendment, with particular emphasis on strengthening risk management and the resilience of entities providing essential services. The study achieved this primary objective by identifying the most significant normative and institutional changes, comparing the legal solutions in force before and after the amendment took effect, and assessing the potential systemic implications of the introduced measures for Poland’s security. The research examined changes in Poland's crisis management system resulting from the aforementioned amendment, focusing on their significance for risk management, critical infrastructure protection, and the resilience of entities providing essential services. The study was qualitative in nature and employed a normative-institutional approach and comparative analysis. The primary research method employed was document analysis, covering normative acts and documents produced in the legislative process. The study also applied comparative analysis, enabling the identification of differences between the characteristic elements of the previous and current crisis management models. The research was additionally supported by scientific literature. The findings show an evolution in Poland’s approach to security, shifting emphasis from protecting individual facilities to systemic risk management and strengthening the resilience of entities providing essential services. The amendment introduces the National Risk Assessment, separates risk management planning from crisis response planning, establishes the National Strategy for the Resilience of Critical Entities, and strengthens supply chain security, oversight, and cooperation mechanisms. At the same time, the regulation implements Directive (EU) 2022/2557 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the resilience of critical entities. Its effectiveness will depend on implementation quality, coordination with population protection, and the institutional capacity of public administration and critical entities.