Poland's Sejm says freeze that: crypto assets added to sanctions bill in 240–202 vote 🇵🇱

Poland's lower house, the Sejm, approved a government-backed bill that would explicitly allow authorities to freeze crypto assets when imposing sanctions, voting 240 to 202 with one abstention and forwarding the measure to the Senate on Monday, according to official parliamentary records.

The Act on Restrictive Measures defines the funds subject to freezing to include crypto assets as recognised under the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). Poland's interior minister would oversee the national sanctions list, with sanctions-listing decisions taking effect the day after authorities publish a designation. Affected individuals and companies could challenge the decision in administrative court, though the bill permits enforcement before a court ruling.

Poland already maintains a national sanctions list under a 2022 law aimed at countering support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The bill would broaden the grounds for imposing national sanctions to include certain foreign interference and information manipulation that pose a serious threat to national security.

The Senate has 30 days to approve, amend or reject the legislation. If it takes no action, Poland's Constitution treats the bill as approved in the form passed by the Sejm, allowing it to proceed to the president for consideration.