Sejm Marshal Włodzimierz Czarzasty accuses President Duda of lying about his alternative to the EU’s military funding program.
First, Decision on SAFE
“The president informed yesterday that he has 10 days to sign the veto or accept the SAFE law and that he is still considering. We will not proceed with the law proposed by the president until the process related to the law sent to the president is completed,” emphasized Marshal Czarzasty.
Work on the president’s “Zero Percent SAFE” project will not begin immediately, but only after a decision is made by the president regarding the EU program. This was announced by Sejm Marshal Włodzimierz Czarzasty during a Wednesday press conference. He described the presidential project as a “scam” and stated that the president is deceiving Poles with it.
“Vetoing SAFE will be vetoing 185 billion złoty for the Polish military. This will be saying ‘no’ to twelve thousand companies that would implement the program in Poland. These are funds that can be used immediately. And production should immediately begin in 12 thousand Polish factories with 90% Polish armaments for the Polish army,” noted Czarzasty.
43.7 Billion Euros for Polish Military
Poland can receive 43.7 billion euros from the EU SAFE program, which is nearly 200 billion złoty, for military equipment and soldier equipment. As reported by the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, this is made possible by low-interest loans with a 10-year payment deferral and a 45-year repayment period. Additionally, 80% of the funds are to go to Polish companies.
The law implementing the EU SAFE program was passed by the Sejm and reached the president’s office on February 27. President Andrzej Duda has until March 20 to make a decision regarding the program. He can sign the law, veto it, or refer the project to the Constitutional Tribunal.
100 Billion Złoty Loss for NBP
“The National Bank of Poland today has a cumulative loss of 100 billion złoty. If any profit is made, we will be informed about it this December. Therefore, this profit will not be allocated to armaments tomorrow, the day after, in April or May,” explained Czarzasty.
“Relying on the President of the National Bank of Poland as a credible person in this matter is personally surprising to me because I want to remind you that President Adam Glapiński once informed the public that there would be no inflation. Inflation directly after his words reached 20% after some time. There are hundreds of thousands of people who took out loans then because they believed there would be no inflation in Poland. Therefore, I approach this with great calm and will not be drawn into any discussion or emotions at this time. First, we will complete the process related to the law we presented to the president. Then the president will take responsibility for his decision. The times when projects are presented to the Sejm that are not financially secured or cost 50-60 billion złoty a year without financial coverage are over. Because it’s just a scam, populism, and deception. Responsibility for the country is going a different way. I do not consent to this,” emphasized Czarzasty.
According to the NBP law, 95% of the profit earned by the National Bank of Poland is directed to the state budget, and 5% to the reserve fund.
Duda’s Alternative to SAFE
President Duda, together with NBP President Adam Glapiński, has proposed an alternative to the EU SAFE – the “Polish Zero Percent SAFE.” Under the project, a Polish Defense Investment Fund would be created in BGK, financed from the NBP’s profit. The head of the president’s chancellery, Zbigniew Bogucki, stated on Tuesday afternoon that the Sejm could take up the presidential project during the Wednesday session.