The Polish parliament on November 24 passed a bill that bans retailing on the first and last Sunday of each month.

The passing of the law – which still has to be reviewed by the Senate and signed off by the president – fulfils one of the leading promises of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party. The ban is in the interests of employees in the retail sector, says the government. The idea came from the Solidarity trade union.

The powerful Catholic church has also long said Sunday shopping runs counter to traditional values.

Retailers, however, insist that industry and the economy – which remains hugely dependent on consumption – could be hit hard.

The ban will kick in from March. The first and the last Sunday of each month will see most retailers close their doors, with some exceptions such as two Sundays earmarked before Christmas. Exceptions have also been made for a number of shop types, for example online retailers, bakeries, or shops at train stations and airports.

The ban will be broadened in 2019 to leave just one Sunday each month with most shops open, while in 2020 it will encompass all Sundays, with exceptions for pre-Christmas trade and seasonal sales.

The current Polish government has targeted the foreign-dominated retail sector before. An attempt to impose a tax on retailers’ turnover – with the exception of small, mostly Polish-owned shops – was however torpedoed by the European Commission in July.

Both the plan for the retail tax and the Sunday shopping ban were borrowed from Hungary's populist Fidesz government, which has been the source of no little inspiration for PiS since it took office.