This is the first loan agreement under the SAFE program accepted by the European Commission for any country. “The SAN program and the Monster from Tarnów, Piorun from Skarżysko Kamienna, or the Rescue Ship from PGZ Stocznia Wojenna in Gdynia and many, many more orders are getting closer! The contract will be signed this Friday,” wrote the head of the Ministry of National Defense, Deputy Prime Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz, on the X platform
As the head of the Ministry of National Defense emphasized: “The European Commission was the first to accept our SAFE loan agreement! We confirm our position as a security leader on the eastern flank. We are also the largest beneficiary of the program. SAFE amounts to nearly PLN 190 billion for our army and our arms industry.”
The loan agreement from the SAFE program for Poland is to be signed on Friday in Warsaw. It will be signed by EU commissioners Piotr Serafin and Andrius Kubilius and the heads of the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Finance, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and Andrzej Domański.
Poland, to which the European Commission granted EUR 43.7 billion, is the largest beneficiary of the program; Hungary and France are in second place and are to receive EUR 16.2 billion each.
After signing the agreement with the member states, the European Commission will be able to take out loans on the capital markets and transfer them to the beneficiaries.
A total of 19 EU countries are waiting to sign a loan agreement under SAFE. The only country whose spending plan has not yet been approved is Hungary, because Budapest demanded EUR 2 billion more funds, which the EC did not agree to.
The plan submitted by the outgoing government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban also raised concerns related to the rule of law. The EC is waiting for Budapest's new proposal when Peter Magyar takes over as prime minister.
The funds for Poland are to be allocated, among others, to: for the implementation of the East Shield program, the development of anti-drone systems, anti-aircraft defense, artillery and the modernization of military transport infrastructure. According to the government's declaration, 89 percent funds are to go to Polish industry and economy.
In mid-March, President Karol Nawrocki vetoed the act implementing SAFE – it assumed the creation of a special fund to which EU funds would be allocated.
In response to the veto, the government adopted a resolution on the Armed Poland Program, which authorizes the head of the Ministry of National Defense and the minister of finance and economy to sign the agreement and documents regarding the SAFE loan on behalf of the government. The loan will be taken out by BGK for the benefit of the Armed Forces Support Fund (FWSZ). The loan will be repaid from funds not included in the minimum limit for defense spending.
