Kierwiński: The services were robbed of PLN 7 billion by the president's veto. The government will work around them
Due to the presidential veto, the services subordinated to the Ministry of Interior and Administration were robbed of an additional PLN 7 billion that was previously unavailable, said the head of the Ministry of Interior and Administration, Marcin Kierwiński. He declared that each of these projects “will be implemented for the good of Polish security.”
The minister took part in a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Administration and Internal Affairs on the activities of the ministry after the veto to the SAFE program. PiS MPs, reacting negatively to the activities regarding SAFE, left the meeting.
Instead of solving real problems today and starting purchases, these necessary purchases, we have to waste time to bypass – and I mean, I use this word deliberately – to bypass the president's unwise veto, said Kierwiński.
He stated that the veto “harms Polish security” because “it leads to… Polish services were robbed of money that was previously unavailable“.
Services without modern equipment
He recalled that the SAFE program includes 42 projects of services subordinated to the Ministry of Interior and Administration, and PLN 7 billion for this purpose are additional funds intended to strengthen the services. His projects include: investment in an anti-drone protection system, defense of the maritime border in the Baltic Sea, proper security of the Polish-Belarusian and Polish-Russian borders, but also “in some time horizon also of the Polish-Ukrainian border”, and personal equipment of officers.
He assured that despite the veto, in accordance with the government's declarations, the funds under the SAFE program will be used under other mechanisms, although it will not be easy, because the government must find a tool that will allow these funds to be used.
– I'm reassuring everyone here – we will find this mechanism – he declared.
– How many times do we hear how many times everyone accidentally calls for the Polish uniform? So how can you be more supportive of the Polish uniform than by giving money to those people who defend our security, so that they can carry out their service safely – said Kierwiński.
– It is something amazing that you can disarm in times of threats, you can disarm the Polish police, the Polish border guard, the State Protection Service, that you can knock out the tools of their daily work from these people – he emphasized. He said he couldn't believe that such a decision could be made by the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and symbolically disarm the Polish officers.
Anti-drone systems are a priority on the eastern border
As an example, he mentioned that he recently participated in the launch of Poland's first border protection system against flying objects – the anti-drone system – on the border with Belarus. He emphasized that we need five more such packages so that the entire eastern border, with the Russian Federation and the sea border are secured.
He explained that the money for the first system came from savings, and the remaining packages were to be financed from SAFE. He assured that despite the veto, these investments would be carried out, but without the veto they could be implemented faster. Over 80 percent these are to be funds invested in Polish companies and Polish technical thought. He reminded that the PLN 7 billion is completely new money for completely new tasks and nothing will be transferred from the PLN 13 billion program for the modernization of the Ministry of Interior and Administration services.
PiS: SAFE is a dangerous loan, we have a better alternative
During the discussion, the vice-chairman of the commission, Paweł Hreniak (PiS), said that it was a show of hatred towards the president. – You are trying to reverse the entire vector of this discussion. I would like to remind you that it is not a problem to invest in the safety of Polish women and men. Today, it is not a problem for PiS, or for Mr. President, to seek financial resources for this purpose, but it should be done in a wise and reasonable manner, taking into account various possibilities of seeking this money, Hreniak emphasized.
He pointed out that the president had indicated a wise source of financing. – This source was the SAFE 0% proposal. This is an offer that is not a loan. This is a proposal in which there is no risk of withholding funds if someone in Brussels doesn't like something. Here we have no service costs, not only no interest rates, no restrictions on the purchase of equipment for a certain geographical area, no restrictions on the terms of concluding contracts, no currency risk of funds and full transparency – said Hreniak.
Piotr Kaleta (PiS) asked to indicate one statement by the president that would be against investments in Polish defense. He asked when the president's initiative would be submitted to the Sejm. – That's why the president's act is there, that's why the president's office is there, that's why the president's officials and ministers are there, so that they can come at a committee meeting or during the legislative process and explain what the plan is and how it is to be implemented – Kaleta pointed out.
A row at the committee and the opposition's exit
Konrad Frysztak (KO), referring to these statements and the president's initiative, said that “this is SAFE minus PLN 100 billion” and “an extension of the directives coming from the Presidential Palace.” – Today, PiS MPs are responsible for the betrayal of the Polish arms industry. You, as well as the tenant of the Presidential Palace, Karol Nawrocki, whom I call the president of PiS, Confederation and Braun, are also responsible for betraying the homeland. All those who were against SAFE today and in recent weeks – said Frysztak. Then the PiS MPs left the room.
In the minister's opinion, it was “very bad” that PiS MPs left the meeting. He asked the opposition not to sabotage these projects prepared to protect Polish security. – During this committee, I would like us to try to at least find some agreement on these fundamental issues – he appealed. – If we did not use this money, these investments would be postponed or extended for many years – he emphasized.
He recalled that the legislative initiative submitted by the president did not concern money for services subordinated to the Ministry of Interior and Administration, but if such an act appeared, he would encourage the government and the coalition to work on a project that would propose additional funds to meet the needs of the services subordinated to the ministry.
Kierwiński assured that generals and colonels from services subordinated to the Ministry of Interior and Administration worked on specific projects that were to be financed from the SAFE program and these are the real needs of each of these services.
The government's plan: how to use EUR 43 billion despite the blockade?
The police, Border Guard and SOP chiefs detailed specific planned orders to the MPs. The police want to obtain anti-drone systems, light armored personnel carriers, vehicles for transporting explosives, weapons, personal and protective equipment, and IT systems. The border guard also wants to have systems for detecting and neutralizing drones, systems for protecting critical infrastructure, patrol boats and multi-role helicopters, weapons, personal and protective equipment and ammunition.
SOP, in addition to anti-drone systems, requires mobile shelters, armored posts, systems for reconnaissance, analyzing telecommunications and radio networks and blocking them, weapons, personal and protective equipment, and pyrotechnic and transport equipment.
The government's plenipotentiary for SAFE, Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, assured that the president's decision does not change anything on the EU side in any way. Next, Poland has been allocated EUR 43.7 billion, she emphasized. She added that the president's veto rejected purchases for the SOP, police and Border Guard because the act extended the possibility of financing from SAFE beyond the armed forces.
She emphasized that she “disagrees with several statements in the justification for the veto” and that “the government has chosen a confrontational attitude.”
– On Friday, we adopted a resolution of the Council of Ministers, which clearly states that we will do everything to ensure that the money goes to the above-mentioned formations. The president's decision does not change anything on the EU side in any way. Next, Poland has been allocated EUR 43.7 billion. Next, the shopping list that lies with the European Commission, which we have negotiated, is still a shopping list with projects for the police, Border Guard and SOP – noted Sobkowiak-Czarnecka.
She added that the difficulty that exists today is “the difficulty caused by the president's veto, which directly rejected the possibility of financing and purchases for the SOP, police and Border Guard.”
SAFE versus the president's Polish SAFE
President Karol Nawrocki announced on Thursday that he would not sign the act implementing the EU SAFE reinforcement mechanism. He stated that he would never sign a bill that “strikes our sovereignty, independence, economic and military security.” Justifying the decision, he pointed out that SAFE is a loan with a 45-year term and the cost of interest may amount to up to PLN 180 billion. In the president's opinion, “Poles will have to pay back as much as the value of the loan granted, and Western banks and financial institutions will profit from it.”
At the beginning of March, President Karol Nawrocki and the head of the NBP, Adam Glapiński, announced the “Polish SAFE 0%” program, which – as the president stated – is to be a “specific, Polish, safe and sovereign alternative for SAFE that will not involve any financial interest.” The president's bill on this matter is before the Sejm.
After the president vetoed the bill, the government adopted a resolution that will allow – despite the veto – the use of EU funds from the program. Instead of creating a special fund at Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego to service funds from EU loans, as assumed in the act, the SAFE loan will be taken out by BGK for the Armed Forces Support Fund. (PAP)
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