Polish president questions EU SAFE defence plan

Polish President Karol Nawrocki has raised concerns about potential risks tied to Poland’s participation in the European Union’s SAFE program, designed to rearm member states. Under the initiative, Warsaw is seeking approximately €43.7 billion in preferential loans.

The Polish Sejm passed the necessary legislation on February 13 to enable the country’s participation in the program, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Domestic opinion, however, remains divided: while the government supports SAFE, opposition voices warn the program “will keep on a leash countries that dare to pursue an independent policy.” Earlier, Prime Minister Donald Tusk described critics of the initiative as “enemies of independence.”

Nawrocki highlighted sovereignty as a key concern. “The aspect of sovereignty raises doubts, which for me, as President of Poland, is particularly important — to what extent the SAFE program allows us to freely manage these funds, given the principle of conditionality. The foundation of building security is certainty. We must be certain that these funds will not be stopped or frozen. Certainty is security; uncertainty is danger,” he said, referencing past disputes with the EU over the National Recovery Plan, when Polish funds were temporarily frozen due to rule-of-law disagreements.

The president also emphasized the financial implications of the program. “The enormous debt, which will be repaid over decades, requires a clear understanding of the real cost of the obligations,” he said, urging the government to release a detailed list of 139 projects planned under SAFE.

“Our common goal should be to use all funds allocated for defence to expand production capacity and create added value for our economy,” Nawrocki concluded.

By Vafa Guliyeva