Poland's Minister of Justice, Waldemar Żurek, noted last summer that long waits for legal proceedings, sometimes extending to eighteen months or more, undermine the concept of justice, representing a pressing need for judicial reform. This call for quicker court processes was echoed by his predecessor, Adam Bodnar, who had introduced a ten-point plan aimed at expediting the functioning of the judiciary. However, data suggests that little progress has been made since these initiatives were introduced.

According to the most recent figures released by the Ministry of Justice, the average duration for legal proceedings in the first instance at district courts has actually increased this past year to 12.1 months, with a notable rise of one month compared to 2024. This slowdown is evident across nearly all categories of civil cases, indicating systemic issues within the court system that have not been resolved and perhaps exacerbated by the heightened workload and understaffing in many courts.

As the government seeks to address the long-standing problem of judicial delays, the recent findings suggest that their efforts are falling short of reforming a system plagued by inefficiency. Increased wait times not only diminish public trust in the judiciary but also raise concerns for those awaiting justice, highlighting the urgent need for effective reforms that ensure timely resolutions to legal disputes in Poland.