Poland抯 Civil Code was adopted in 1964, during the communist era, and many believe change is long overdue. Attempts at improving the situation go as far back as the early 1990s. Since that time, at least two major changes have occurred in Poland. The first one is the abandonment of the communist system, the second one Poland抯 entry into the European Union. Both events have led to modification of many regulations, causing an essential transformation of the Civil Code. Yet one of the areas remains in need of change: inheritance law. This paper deals with the problem of recodifying the circle of statutory heirs in Poland and shows that developments in other former Eastern Bloc countries may be useful examples for the Polish legislator, especially when considering inclusion of a decedent抯 cohabitator in the circle of statutory heirs.