Polish MPs clash over the SAFE program, with a ruling party MP comparing opposition resistance to historical Targowica treachery.
Dispute Over the SAFE Program
During Thursday’s (February 12) parliamentary session, Andrzej Szewiński stated that according to Finance Minister Andrzej Domański, the SAFE program “is 60 billion cheaper than other types of loans.” “I must regretfully state that opposition deputies during the meeting of the Finance and National Defense Committee opposed the introduction of the SAFE financial instrument. This was a sabotage of state security and an attempt to block 185 billion for the modernization of armed forces and the defense industry, for increased effectiveness of the deterrence strategy,” said the KO MP. “Whoever is against SAFE takes political responsibility for weakening Poland at the worst moment of threat. Can we call these actions against obtaining funds for the Polish army Targowica?” he asked. “I think so,” he added.
Right-Wing Skepticism of SAFE
Karol Nawrocki is skeptical of the SAFE program because, as he emphasized during the National Security Council, it is a loan of 43.7 billion euros, not a non-repayable grant. The President assessed that the amount represents “a huge debt that will be repaid by the Polish state for years.” A PiS deputy during Thursday’s parliamentary session asked, “why should the European Commission decide what armaments Poland should buy.” Moreover, according to independent MP Marek Jakubiak, the plan is neither coherent nor compatible with the army’s needs.
What is Targowica?
The MP referred to the Targowicka Confederation, which was formed under the pretext of defending noble rights in 1792 by opponents of the Constitution of May 3. The Government Act introduced partial equalization of rights for burghers and nobility as well as state protection for serfs. It also eliminated the Russian protectorate. The confederates therefore turned to Russian Empress Catherine II for help, which led to the entry of Russian troops into Poland.
“As an enlightened ruler, Catherine II liked to pose as a legalist. Therefore, she did not want this operation to look like a military attack, but only to have the appearance of intervention on behalf of the supposedly aggrieved party. The Targowiczans were telling the noble opinion in Poland, as well as to Catherine – which of course she was happy to listen to – that the Constitution of May 3 had overthrown freedom in Poland. In this way, the Empress found justification for her armed aggression,” said Professor Piotr Ugniewski from the Historical Institute of the University of Warsaw in an interview with Wojciech Kozłowski for the Museum of Polish History.
