Poland's Constitutional Court Upholds Ban On Sunday Commerce

WARSAW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th July, 2021) The Polish Constitutional Tribunal ruled on Tuesday that the 2018 ban on commerce on Sundays is legitimate, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

The suit was filed by the Polish Confederation Lewiatan, which describes itself as a "business organization representing employers' interests," arguing that the ban could violate freedom of entrepreneurship and the rights of entrepreneurs.

The decision to uphold the ban was made by a panel of five judges, with three of them voting in favor of prohibiting Sunday commerce and two voting against.

The Polish law prohibiting Sunday commerce for most retail outlets came into force on March 1, 2018. Businesses exempt include shops at gas stations, flower stores, souvenirs and bakeries, as well as shops selling newspapers, tobacco and public transport tickets.

Scaling down retail on weekends is a common practice in European countries. Most of them, including France, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom, have restricted Sunday shopping hours only partially. Hungary attempted to ban Sunday trade entirely in 2015 but ended up abandoning the law due to public criticism.