Poland’s parliament has failed for the second time to override a presidential veto blocking the country’s crypto regulation bill, prolonging what has become one of the EU’s most stubborn digital asset policy disputes. In a vote held Friday, lawmakers mustered only 243 votes against the veto, falling short of the 263 required to override it, while 191 MPs voted in favour of upholding the block, according to TVP World. The supporting evidence appears in the cited X post.
The outcome leaves Poland as the only EU member state yet to implement the bloc’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, known as MiCA, which came into force in 2024 to govern the issuance and custody of digital assets.
Finance Minister Andrzej Domański had warned before the vote that a continued absence of clear rules risks turning Poland’s crypto market into an “El Dorado for fraudsters,” leaving both consumers and businesses exposed.
A Dispute Rooted in Presidential Principle
President Karol Nawrocki has twice vetoed the legislation, citing concerns over excessive regulation, limited transparency, and the potential burden on small businesses.
After his second veto in February, he made his position clear: “I will not sign a wrong law just because it was passed again by the parliamentary majority. A wrong law that passed a hundred times still remains a wrong law.”
The bill is backed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government, which has framed MiCA adoption as an urgent compliance obligation. Following the first failed override attempt in December, lawmakers reintroduced the draft within days, describing it as an improved version.
Critics, however, said the revised text was virtually unchanged from the original, and Nawrocki vetoed it again in February.
Zonda Controversy Adds Political Pressure
The standoff has drawn in Zonda, Poland’s largest crypto exchange, which has reportedly lobbied against the bill. Prime Minister Tusk publicly accused the platform of links to illicit funding, citing intelligence reports that allegedly connect its origins to Russian criminal networks.
Zonda CEO Przemysław Kral pushed back sharply, writing on X that “attempts to drag me and Zonda into the current political squabbles are as absurd as they are harmful to the Polish innovation market” and that he is “compelled to take appropriate legal steps to protect my personal rights.”
Kral also stated separately that he does not control access to a crypto wallet reportedly holding around $330 million, claiming that access remained with former CEO Sylwester Suszek before his disappearance in 2022. The wallet dispute has added a volatile dimension to an already politically charged regulatory debate.
With the veto standing and no immediate path to a supermajority override, the Polish government faces a choice between redesigning the bill substantially enough to satisfy the president or accepting an extended period outside MiCA compliance.
Either outcome delays the legal clarity that crypto companies operating in Poland have been seeking since the regulation took effect across the rest of the EU.
Not Financial Advice: This article is for informational purposes only. Crypto investments are highly volatile. Always do your own research.
