A majority of Poles support President Karol Nawrocki signing the SAFE defense bill, according to a new IBRiS poll.
Parliamentary Process
Sejm will consider Senate amendments to the SAFE law this week. The bill will then go to President Karol Nawrocki, who can sign it, veto it, or send it to the Constitutional Tribunal.
Poll on Nawrocki’s Decision
According to an IBRiS poll, 58.4% of respondents believe President Karol Nawrocki should sign the SAFE law, while 29.8% believe he should not. 11.8% had no opinion. The poll was conducted by CATI method on February 13-14 on a sample of 1068 people.
PiS Opposition to SAFE Law
The SAFE law was supported by the ruling coalition and Razem party, while PiS, Konfederation, and Korona Polska Grzegorz Braun’s faction voted against it. PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński stated that entering the program in this form means long-term financial dependence on a catalog of products specified by the European Commission and that the conditionality principle amounts to “de facto political blackmail.”
Government’s Response
Government Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka addressed doubts about the program’s conditionality, stating that SAFE is not KPO. She explained that while KPO operated on a “money for reforms” basis, the conditionality in SAFE applies to all EU funds and is meant to protect taxpayers against corruption and misappropriation.
Financial Support Details
Nineteen EU countries will receive a total of 150 billion euros under SAFE to support defense investments. Poland will be the largest beneficiary, receiving nearly 44 billion euros in the form of 3% loans to be repaid until 2070.
