SAFE program. Poland is the biggest beneficiary
How much money will Poland receive from the SAFE program?
What can SAFE money be spent on?
What are the repayment terms for a SAFE loan?
When can the first funds from the program reach Poland?
SAFE (Security Action for Europe) was established during the Polish Presidency of the EU Council, and our country has been actively seeking to launch this instrument from the beginning. The program was created in response to the growing threat from Russia. “Aims to provide financial support to member states to accelerate defense preparedness,” EU officials say on their website. The purchases are to include primarily military equipment produced in Europe.
Money from SAFE is a loan on very favorable terms. The money is intended for defense
Under the program, EU countries can acquire, for example, ammunition, artillery systems, drones and invest in strategic air transport or navy. Possible expenses also include cybersecurity and even the protection of space resources.
“SAFE is not grants, but a loan fund,” explains Member of the European Parliament, Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz, on social media. Under the program, member countries can apply for low-interest loans. The guarantor of the loans is the European Union, so the conditions are more favorable than if individual countries applied for the money individually. They also include an extremely long repayment period, which will last 45 years and will start only in a decade.
The European Commission prefers that the funds go to projects implemented jointly by several countries, but it is also possible to finance purchases by one country if the agreement is signed by the end of May next year.
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz: we will appeal to write off part of this loan
He said that the first money from the program may reach Poland in March this year.
