Going to court made easier: what Law No. ZRU-1165 changes

Law No. ZRU-1165 of 14 August 2026 creates more favourable conditions for citizens and businesses applying to economic and administrative courts. The document took effect on the day of its official publication.

The key novelties are the mandatory participation of state officials in administrative court hearings and a preliminary hearing procedure. An official can no longer simply ignore proceedings in which their decisions are being challenged.

The grounds for refunding the state fee have been expanded: it will be returned when other claims in insolvency cases are not considered, and also when an application is left without consideration after a preliminary hearing.

The changes affect the Criminal Procedure Code, the Economic Procedure Code and the Law "On Courts". Electronic document flow is being introduced, including for forensic examination.

What this means in practice: disputes with state bodies and counterparties become more predictable: the state fee for a "wasted" application will be refunded, and an agency representative must appear in court and answer on the merits.

Photo: Weiss & Paarz, Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)