The Presidential Palace has responded sharply to Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s comments on the EU SAFE program, calling them “exceptionally vile” amid escalating tensions.
SAFE Program Dispute Escalates
On Saturday morning, Prime Minister Donald Tusk addressed the controversy surrounding the EU SAFE program in his social media posts. He stated, “In the war over SAFE, all masks have fallen. Today, no one can have any doubts that the upcoming elections will decide whether Poland remains in Europe and who wants to pull us out of it. We must jointly stop the political madmen.”
The atmosphere around the SAFE program heated up after Karol Nawrocki announced his veto.
Presidential Palace Response
Vice-Chief of the Presidential Chancellery Adam Andruszkiewicz responded to the Prime Minister, saying, “With today’s post, Donald Tusk has shown his cards. The EU SAFE loan was supposed to be the foundation of your next year’s campaign. You wanted to blackmail Poles together with the EU that if they change your harmful government, the funds for their security will be withheld. Exceptionally vile.”
Political Reactions
Przemysław Czarnek, PiS’s candidate for prime minister, also commented, stating, “It’s true that in the SAFE case, all masks have fallen. Poles already know who pushed our army into the Brussels-German swindle, and who wants the military to develop sovereignly.”
Czarnek added, “Poland has been in Europe since its birth and baptism, not thanks to the servitude to Germany that you are pushing with your knee. Before us is the choice: a sovereign, free and rich Poland or one managed from Brussels and Berlin. Poles will tell you and your patrons to get lost!”
Government’s Counter-Move
After Nawrocki’s announcement of a veto, the government adopted a resolution on the matter. Nawrocki had informed on Thursday that he would not sign the law implementing the EU SAFE program, assessing that it “undermines our sovereignty, independence, economic and military security.”
In response to the president’s decision, the Council of Ministers held an extraordinary meeting the next day. At that meeting, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that the government would adopt a resolution based on which the “Poland Armed” program would be implemented.
Presidential Counter-Proposal
Last week, the president presented, along with the President of the National Bank of Poland Adam Glapiński, his own alternative to the program, which he called “Polish SAFE 0%.” In the Sejm, a bill concerning the Polish Fund for Defense Investments has already been submitted.
The presidential project envisions the creation of the Polish Fund for Defense Investments, whose primary source of financing will be funds from the profits of the National Bank of Poland.
