According to Polsat News, the invitations were sent, among others, to: to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the head of the National Bank of Poland Adam Glapiński and the Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. The head of the Ministry of National Defense confirmed the information about the planned consultations.
The text continues below the video
The meeting is to concern the decision on the law enabling Poland to benefit from an EU loan for the modernization of its armed forces, and is to be held on March 10 at 15 at the Presidential Palace, informs Polsat News.
The president's decision on the bill
The SAFE bill is currently on the president's desk, who must decide whether to sign or veto it. That is why – according to media information – the head of state wants to consult the matter with government representatives in advance.
The SAFE program envisages transferring over PLN 180 billion to Poland for the purchase of military equipment and the modernization of the army.
The ruling coalition calls for the act to be signed quickly, arguing that the funds are needed to further strengthen the country's defense potential.
Read also: Sale of gold by the National Bank of Poland. Gronkiewicz-Waltz warns against the consequences
Political dispute over the SAFE program
However, the idea of using an EU loan is criticized by some of the opposition, primarily politicians from Law and Justice and Confederation.
Critics point out, among others, on the so-called mechanism conditionality, that is, linking the disbursement of funds to the assessment of the rule of law, as well as the risk of greater dependence on the European – especially German – arms industry.
Alternative: Polish SAFE 0 percent.
An alternative proposal presented by the president also appeared in the debate. Karol Nawrocki and Adam Glapiński proposed a project known as Polish SAFE 0 percentwhich would constitute a national alternative to the EU financing mechanism.
As the president explained, the proposal is to be “a beneficial, sovereign, safe, good and effective alternative to SAFE“.
However, unofficial information provided by the interia.pl portal shows that the government does not rule out considering both solutions at the same time. The Prime Minister's entourage emphasized that parallel operation of both programs is possible, although there is no consent to completely replace the EU mechanism with the NBP's proposal.
SAFE 0% program proposed on Wednesday by President Karol Nawrocki and the President of the National Bank of Poland, Adam Glapiński. Donald Tusk has already commented on the idea, as well as former president of the NBP Marek Belka, head of the Ministry of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Minister of Finance Andrzej Domański, head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski and EU Commissioner for the Budget Piotr Serafin. Economists also expressed their doubts.
