Upadlosc konsumencka w wybranych krajach Unii Europejskiej a kryzys gospodarczy. (Consumer bankruptcy in selected European Union Member Countries in relation to the economic crisis.)

The article is aimed at the examination of the relation between the economic crisis and the number of consumer bankruptcies declared in the selected European Union member countries, including Poland. It describes the institution of consumer bankruptcy and presents the most essential differences between the bankruptcy solutions applied in particular legal systems. The economic indicators of the selected European Union member countries are confronted with the number of declared bankruptcies. The article also discusses the Polish law on consumer bankruptcy and the knowledge of law among consumers based on the survey results. It briefly assesses the Polish law and indicates the reasons for its low effectiveness. The conclusion includes the assessment of the legitimacy of interdependence between the number of consumer bankruptcies and the economic situation of a given country.