The Institute for Public Finance is among 46 civil society organizations that have signed an open letter to the Prime Minister regarding the Central Register of Contracts (CRU). In the letter, the organizations express concern that the Ministry of Finance’s proposal to raise the disclosure threshold for contracts in the CRU from PLN 500 to PLN 10,000 poses a serious threat to public oversight of government spending.
Contract Registers – a key tool for public finance oversight
In recent years, many EU countries have implemented a new transparency tool for public spending – electronic registers of contracts concluded by public sector entities. These are online databases that collect information on public spending contracts, aiming to increase transparency and democratic oversight in managing public finances.
In Poland, the CRU was originally scheduled to launch in July 2022, but the previous government repeatedly delayed its implementation, finally setting the date for January 1, 2026. In March 2025, a draft amendment was published on the Government Legislation Centre website, intended to bring the CRU into force.
“The Central Register of Contracts, currently under development, is a long-awaited tool of democratic civic oversight. It is an opportunity to strengthen modern standards of a democratic rule-of-law state, based on transparency in public finances — which is the foundation of citizens’ trust in public institutions,” reads the letter to the Prime Minister.
70% of contracts will not be disclosed
Despite the government’s declarations of transparency, the Ministry of Finance has proposed raising the contract disclosure threshold in the CRU by a factor of 20 — from PLN 500 to PLN 10,000 net.
Research by the Institute for Public Finance and the Civic Network Watchdog Poland shows that, under the proposed threshold, around 70% of contracts concluded by local governments would not be disclosed in the register. In some localities, out of 1,000 contracts signed, only 76 would be made public.
The research also reveals that 97% of citizens believe contracts and invoices signed by public entities should be fully transparent. Furthermore, 94% believe that the CRU would help rebuild trust in how public funds are managed. The Ministry’s proposal fails to reflect these public expectations.
“How can the average citizen trust the state when the system being developed in many local governments and public finance entities will only show a small portion of contracts? That would be a façade — even a mockery — of transparency,” write the authors of the letter. They emphasize: “We call on the government not to raise the contract disclosure threshold for public sector entities that will be required to publish in the Central Register of Contracts.”
Signatories of the appeal:
- ARTICLE 19 Europe
- CASE Center for Social and Economic Research
- CenEA Center for Economic Analysis
- Forum Obywatelskiego Rozwoju
- Fundacja Aktywny i Czysty Nasielsk
- Fundacja dla Polski
- Fundacja Dobrobyt na Pokolenia
- Fundacja Gospodarki i Administracji Publicznej
- Fundacja HexaLAB
- Fundacja Instrat
- Fundacja Matecznik
- Fundacja Odpowiedzialna Polityka
- Fundacja Panoptykon
- Fundacja Rozwoju Demokracji Lokalnej im. Jerzego Regulskiego
- Fundacja Rozwoju Społeczeństwa Informacyjnego
- Fundacja „Świat w Naszych Rękach”
- Fundacja Wolności
- Fundacja Wolności Gospodarczej
- Fundacja Zielone Kujawy
- Fundajca Lasy i Obywatele
- GRAPE Group for Research in APplied Economics
- Inicjatywa Białoobrzegi
- Inicjatywa Lokalna Między Drzewami
- Instytut Badań Strukturalnych
- Instytut Edukacji Ekonomicznej im. Ludwiga von Misesa
- Instytut Emerytalny
- Instytut Finansów Publicznych
- Instytut Odpowiedzialnych Finansów
- Instytut Spraw Publicznych
- Nadwiślański Związek Pracodawców Lewiatan
- Ośrodek Działań Ekologicznych “Źródła”
- Polska Sieć Ekonomii
- Sieć Obywatelska Watchdog Polska
- Stowarzyszenia na rzecz Praworządności w Szkołach “Stowarzyszenie Umarłych Statutów”
- Stowarzyszenie “Chojnice – Tu Bije Moje Serce”
- Stowarzyszenie Demagog
- Stowarzyszenie Dziedzictwa Kulturowego i Krajobrazowego Mała Wspólnota
- Stowarzyszenie EKIPA Z BAGIEN
- Stowarzyszenie Inicjatyw Obywatelskich RIO
- Stowarzyszenie Libertariańskie
- Stowarzyszenie Pravda
- Stowarzyszenie Rozwoju INSPIRACJE
- Stowarzyszenie Wspólnie dla Gminy Stęszew
- Towarzystwo Ekonomistów Polskich
- Warsaw Enterprise Institute
- WiseEuropa
- Andrzej Andrysiak, prezes Stowarzyszenia Gazet Lokalnych
