Polish government defends SAFE defense program against PiS claims of financial dependence on Brussels and political blackmail.
PiS Objections to SAFE Program
On Friday, February 13, the Sejm passed the bill implementing the EU’s SAFE (Security Action for Europe) defense support program. It was supported by ruling coalition MPs and Together party MPs. PiS, Confederation, and Grzegorz Braun’s Polish Crown Confederation MPs voted against it.
President of Law and Justice Jarosław Kaczyński wrote on X that entering this program would lead to “long-term financial dependence on the product list specified by the European Commission.” He also noted that SAFE would be subject to the so-called conditionality principle, which he described as “de facto political blackmail giving the EU the right to suspend payments at any time.”
Government Response on SAFE Conditionality
On Sunday, February 15, government plenipotentiary for the SAFE program Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka appeared on “Guest of Events” on Polsat News. She commented on doubts regarding conditionality: “Here we have probably one of the biggest myths about the SAFE mechanism. Therefore, I want to talk to the Presidential Palace until the end, explaining these differences in EU regulations.”
“SAFE is not KPO. KPO operated under the ‘money for reforms’ system. Whereas conditionality in the SAFE mechanism applies to all EU funds, all of them, from right to left. The European Union protects the interests of European taxpayers against corruption and misallocation of funds,” said the government plenipotentiary.
Subsidies for Companies Under SAFE
Sobkowiak-Czarnecka also addressed the issue of subsidies for entities receiving SAFE funds. As she stated in “Guest of Events,” according to the Agency for Armaments, 89% of the funds Poland will receive will be spent in domestic production facilities. The government plenipotentiary also posted on X: “The investment plan submitted to the European Commission is a list of armament products prepared by the General Staff that we want to buy with money from the mechanism. There is no subsidy for companies here. It’s a list of planned or already completed purchases.”
Media Reports on PiS Division
Of the 180 PiS MPs who participated in the SAFE vote, only Paweł Jabłoński abstained, the rest voted against the bill. Jarosław Kaczyński did not participate in the vote. TVN24 journalist Patryk Michalski unofficially established that some PiS politicians initially wanted to vote for the SAFE program or abstain, but had to act differently because the party had imposed “absolute” discipline.
Michalski reported that conversations on this matter were held by Mariusz Błaszcak, Andrzej Śliwka, and Antoni Macierewicz. “I also heard that Antoni Macierewicz even personally asked some people if they were sure this issue wouldn’t divide the club,” said Michalski. He added that some PiS MPs fear that voting against the bill may have negative consequences for the party.
Poland to Receive 200 Billion Zloty from SAFE
SAFE is a European Union financial instrument supporting defense investments in member states. Nineteen countries have applied to participate in the program. EU countries are to receive a total of 150 billion euros under SAFE. The Chancellery of the Prime Minister announced that Poland will be the largest beneficiary and “will receive nearly 200 billion zloty, of which as much as 80% will go to Polish companies.”
Support under SAFE will be provided in the form of 3% loans, which Poland is to repay by 2070. Tomasz Dmitruk, editor of dziennikzbrojny.pl portal, noted that loans have also been used to finance many other contracts for the Polish military. “In 2022-2025, contracts worth over 400 billion PLN gross were signed under the Armed Forces Support Fund, where the main source of financing is debt funds (loans and bonds)! The share of Polish companies in these deliveries can be estimated at about 10-15%,” wrote Dmitruk on X.