The purpose of the fuel quality monitoring and control system is to eliminate and counteract the transportation, storage, marketing and collection at company stations of fuels that do not meet the quality requirements set out in the provisions of law. The system is also used for statistical monitoring of the quality of fuels in the Polish territory and preparing a report for the European Commission.  

The legal basis of the fuel quality monitoring and control system is the act of 25 August 2006 on the system of monitoring and controlling fuel quality.  

To distinguish control activities carried out to prepare a report for the European Commission, the name “European part of the fuel quality monitoring and scrutinising system”, which refers only to randomly selected filling stations and company stations. Under the so-called European part of the system, petrols (unleaded RON 95 and RON 98), diesel fuel and liquid biofuels, i.e. diesel fuel with 20% of esters (B20) and fatty acid methyl esters constituting self-contained fuel (B100) available at filling stations and company stations, are subject to control.

On the other hand, under the so-called other inspections, carried out with the aim of eliminating fuels that do not meet quality requirements from the market, the controls covered the entire fuel distribution chain, i.e. from fuel producers, warehouses, transporters, through fuel depots and wholesale outlets, to filling stations. Entities to be inspected are both randomised and selected based on information about fuel of improper quality or circumstances indicating the possibility of fuel of improper quality. The following fuel grades are tested as part of the so-called “other controls”: gasoline (unleaded RON 95 and RON 98), diesel fuel, liquid biofuels (B20 and B100), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG), and light fuel oil.

Manufacturing, transporting, storing or marketing of fuels of poor quality is punishable by a fine of up to PLN 1 million or imprisonment of up to 5 years. 

Solid fuels that are intended for use in households or combustion systems with a rated thermal power of less than 1 MW in accordance with Article 1(2)(1) and (2) of the aforementioned act on the system of monitoring are subject to quality control in terms of:

• the quality of solid fuels at undertakings marketing solid fuels, in terms of the quality requirements specified in the Regulation of the Minister of Energy of 27 September 2018 on quality requirements for solid fuels, 
• the quality of solid fuels at undertakings marketing solid fuels, in terms of the requirements arising from the document confirming compliance with the quality requirements (quality certificate).

In addition, entrepreneurs marketing solid fuel are inspected for, among other things: 

• fulfilment of the obligation to issue a document confirming compliance with quality requirements (quality certificate) and to provide a copy of the quality certificate to each entity that purchases solid fuel.
• compliance with the ban on marketing of solid fuels referred to in Article 7, paragraph 7a of the act on the system of monitoring and controlling the quality of solid fuels, i.e.:
  • silts and coal flotation concentrate and any mixtures of fuels with or without the addition of other substances containing less than 85% of hard coal,
  • not meeting the quality requirements set out in the Regulation on the quality requirements,
  • unsorted,
  • solid fuels for which no quality certificate has been issued.

Violation of this ban is punishable by a fine of up to PLN 1 million or imprisonment of up to 5 years.