Former Air Force Inspector Gen. Tomasz Drewniak defends Poland’s SAFE program, criticizing opponents for opposing financial supervision that strengthens defense capabilities.
General Drewniak Defends SAFE Program
Former Air Force Inspector Gen. Tomasz Drewniak criticized opponents of the SAFE program, suggesting they should first reveal the terms of their credits from the United States and Korea. He noted that the European Union, like any bank or financial institution, reserves the right to control how funds are spent. Drewniak believes this supervision is the main problem for the political environment, stating, “What hurts them most is that the money is subject to supervision.”
According to the military expert, funds from this program will strengthen Poland’s defensive capabilities while deepening integration with Western countries, which is in the strategic interest of the state. He concluded that undermining this program practically weakens the development of Poland’s defensive capabilities and acts against national interests.
SAFE Program Approved by Sejm
On Friday, the Sejm adopted the SAFE program bill. 236 deputies voted in favor, 199 against, and 4 abstained. The Chancellery of the Prime Minister announced last month that “Poland, as the largest beneficiary, will receive nearly 200 billion złoty, of which 80 percent will go to Polish companies.” These are credits at 3% interest that Poland will repay until 2070.
The SAFE program was designed from the beginning to enable the use of European funds on a huge scale, both for the Polish defense industry and strengthening protection of the Polish border. Prime Minister Donald Tusk commented, “These are tens of billions of euros of privileged loans. For 10 years, Poland will have a credit holiday, we will not be repaying the principal.”
Opposition Criticizes SAFE Program
The SAFE program has faced criticism from the opposition. “Entering this program in this form means long-term financial dependence on the list of products designated by the European Commission,” commented PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński on Thursday. He added that the SAFE program is subject to the principle of conditionality, which is in fact political blackmail giving the EU the right to suspend payments at any time.
Meanwhile, PiS club leader and former Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak warned that “this is dependence solely on the EU market, which means we will not be able to buy weapons from the US or South Korea, such as F-35 aircraft or Abrams and K2 tanks.”
Kosiniak-Kamysz: SAFE Increases Our Capabilities
“The SAFE program does not limit our capabilities, it increases them. The strategy of our government, which my PSL environment also presented in the campaign, is clear: 50% of spending in Poland, 50% of spending with our allies. This cannot be achieved without radical acceleration of investment in the Polish defense industry and purchases in Poland, both in private and state industry,” commented on Wednesday Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Kosiniak-Kamysz also noted that SAFE funds will also be used by other European countries that will also buy in Europe, including in Poland, equipment such as “Pioruns,” “Wizjers,” “Borsuks,” and “Baobabs” – i.e., mine-clearing vehicles.