WARSAW

Warsaw city councillors voted Thursday to introduce a citywide ban on late-night alcohol sales, extending restrictions already tested in two central districts of the Polish capital.

Councillors also approved measures to gradually reduce the number of alcohol retail permits in the city, particularly for shops.

If implemented, Warsaw’s decision would make the capital the largest Polish city to impose a comprehensive overnight ban on alcohol sales.

Under the measure, shops and petrol stations will be prohibited from selling alcohol between 10 pm and 6 am in all 18 districts of the city.

The restrictions will come into force on June 1 if they are not challenged by the regional governor.

The decision was adopted by the Warsaw City Council following a pilot program in the districts of Srodmiescie and Praga-Polnoc, where local authorities said limits on night-time sales had reduced disturbances linked to alcohol consumption.

Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski said the earlier measures had demonstrated the effectiveness of restricting alcohol availability at night.

“Earlier steps showed that what we are doing makes sense,” Trzaskowski told councillors during the debate.

He added that the policy was intended to respond to complaints from residents about late-night noise and public disorder.

“On the one hand we respond to a real problem – noise, disturbances of public order, interventions by services and sleepless nights for residents – and on the other hand we do it in a responsible way,” he said.

The mayor stressed that limiting sales alone would not solve the problem, saying it must be combined with broader measures, including stronger enforcement and urban planning policies aimed at improving the quality of life in residential areas.

Councillors from the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party said they supported efforts to improve security but argued that effective enforcement would also require more police and municipal patrols.

Restrictions on late-night alcohol sales have spread across Poland in recent years. Since 2018, around 180 municipalities have introduced similar bans following complaints from residents about night-time noise and disorder.