Problem adekwatności rozwiązań prawnych przyjętych przez polskiego ustawodawcę dla zgromadzeń online wspólników spółek kapitałowych – ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem regulacji dotyczących prostej spółki akcyjnej

Abstract

The aim of this article is to discuss the use of digital technologies to conduct online shareholder meetings in limited liability companies, joint-stock companies, and simple joint-stock companies under Polish law. The authors rely on a dogmatic analysis of amendments in this area introduced in the Polish Commercial Companies Code before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, supported by a comparative method with German and Austrian law. It is argued that the regulation of simple joint-stock companies is not compatible with the regulation of limited liability companies and joint-stock companies, and therefore three de lege ferenda postulates have been formulated: (1) online shareholder meetings in a simple joint-stock company should be foreseen by default as ex lege, not as up-to-date ex contractu, which will constitute a unification with the ex lege model already existing in limited liability companies and joint-stock companies, (2) the prerequisite of secrecy in voting should also be maintained in a simple joint-stock company, (3) more generally, due to the rapid changes in technology and the development of artificial intelligence systems, the regulation of online shareholder meetings in all types of companies should be regularly revised at certain time intervals, and these revisions should be programmed by law.