President Karol Nawrocki has called a National Security Council meeting for February 11 to discuss defense funding, international affairs, and controversies surrounding Marshal of the Sejm Włodzimierz Czarzasty.
National Security Council Meeting Scheduled
The National Security Council (RBN) meeting is scheduled for February 11 at 2:14 PM. According to presidential spokesperson Rafał Leśkiewicz, the meeting was announced on February 3 via social media. The RBN is an advisory body to the president on state security matters, bringing together representatives of the most important government institutions. The meeting will address both defense financing and current international and domestic issues.
Controversy Over Czarzasty’s Eastern Contacts
The most contentious item on the agenda is the third point concerning actions by state authorities to clarify the circumstances of Marshal of the Sejm Włodzimierz Czarzasty’s social and business “Eastern contacts.” The “Gazeta Polska” previously reported on the matter, highlighting alleged business ties with a Russian citizen linked to the Russian banking sector. According to the publication, the Russian woman was said to hold shares in a hotel company where the marshal’s wife serves as vice president, and Czarzasty himself had previously served on the board of one of the entities.
Government Coalition Criticism
The inclusion of this point in the RBN agenda has drawn criticism from some politicians in the ruling coalition. Deputy Marshal of the Sejm Piotr Zgorzelski from PSL described it as a “slightly embarrassing agenda” for a body concerned with state security. “I advise against it, Mr. President. If the president hears us, I want to say: Mr. President, please remove this item from the agenda, because it’s simply not serious,” he said on TVN24. The Sejm Chancellery emphasized that the Marshal of the Sejm is under full counterintelligence protection and that no irregularities have been detected by the services.
SAFE Program and Defense Loan
One of the main agenda items will be the loan taken out by the government to implement the SAFE program. Last week, the European Commission approved Poland’s national plan for the use of defense funds. Poland is set to receive support amounting to 43.7 billion euros. The government’s plenipotentiary for the SAFE program, Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, pointed out that these funds are in the form of a loan, not a non-repayable grant. The interest rate is expected to be close to the yield of EU bonds, at around 3%, with a repayment period of 30 to 35 years.
Poland’s Invitation to Peace Council
The second topic of the meeting will be Poland’s invitation to the Peace Council – an initiative launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos. President Karol Nawrocki received the membership proposal from Donald Trump. The Peace Council was established as a governing body for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, although its statute directly refers to this territory. Poland’s potential accession, however, requires parliamentary approval. The standard membership period is three years, and countries that provide $1 billion in the first year receive permanent membership. The president’s environment has not hidden its desire for Poland to become a permanent member.
