Prime Minister: We have received information that the president will veto SAFE

Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Tuesday that he had received information that President Karol Nawrocki had decided to veto the act on the EU SAFE program. During Tuesday's speech before the meeting of the Council of Ministers, the Prime Minister indicated that if a veto actually takes place, the government will prepare a “plan B”.

“We have received information that the president has decided to veto the SAFE program. This is very bad news. I will ask the president directly if this is really the case. It would be an unforgivable mistake. We know well how much effort Poland put into creating this program. How much effort we put, and it was Poland that achieved this effect, so that the European Union as a whole understands that defense is also a common responsibility of all European countries, not only Poland,” Tusk said.

“We managed to mobilize our allies, thanks to which we can obtain nearly PLN 200 billion. We have an appointment with Prime Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz and his colleagues for a meeting with the generals right after the government meeting, so that in a situation where a veto would actually take place, we can prepare a plan B,” he added.

The head of the president's office, Zbigniew Bogucki, announced last week that President Karol Nawrocki invited Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the head of the Ministry of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and the president of the NBP, Adam Glapiński, to a meeting on the “SAFE 0 percent” program. on Tuesday, March 10, at 3 p.m.

“Today, right after the government meeting, together with Prime Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz and Minister Andrzej Domański, we will go to President Nawrocki, where the President of the National Bank of Poland, Mr. Adam Glapiński will also be there,” the Prime Minister said on Tuesday.

During Tuesday's speech before the meeting of the Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Tusk said that the government has not received any information regarding “SAFE 0%” so far.

“Despite repeated requests We have not yet received any information on what the contribution of the National Bank of Poland would look likefinancing of the Polish armed industry and Polish defense. I hope that we will learn something specific during this visit,” Tusk said.

“So far, all signals coming from that side indicate that we are dealing with some rather suspicious operations and I would like to get full clarity before we make any decisions on this matter,” he added.

During a press conference last week, President Karol Nawrocki repeated his doubts about the EU's SAFE program. As the president explained, he met with the president of the NBP, Adam Glapiński, to find an alternative to this program.

At a joint conference with the president, the president of the NBP ruled out the possibility of using NBP reserve assets to finance “SAFE 0 percent”. Glapiński pointed out, without giving details, that the idea was, for example, to increase the Armed Forces Support Fund, also based on current legal possibilities, and if necessary, a legislative initiative would be necessary.

The act on the EU SAFE program, which the Sejm adopted at the end of February, assumes the creation of a Financial Instrument for Enhancing Security managed by Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego, through which the government will be able to use money from SAFE.

Poland is the largest beneficiary of the EU SAFE program – it can obtain approximately EUR 43.7 billion, or almost PLN 200 billion. According to the government's declaration, 89 percent funds from SAFE are to go to Polish arms companies. (PAP Business)

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