The money will go directly to the Polish Armed Forces Support Fund.

On Friday, the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk approved the “Armed Poland” resolution to access €43.7 billion from the Action for the Security of Europe (SAFE) program.

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The decision was made after President Karol Nawrocki vetoed the law that would have allowed the direct use of SAFE funds, arguing that it posed risks to the country’s financial independence.

“Armed Poland” replaces the EU-funded SAFE program with a national loan managed by the National Bank of Economics (BGK), a state-owned entity dedicated to infrastructure investments, thus avoiding the need for a special law.

The European funds will go directly to the Polish Armed Forces Support Fund, guaranteeing that the resources are used to modernize the arms industry without altering the original purpose of SAFE.

Nawrocki warned that any attempt to incur external debt through “illegal” means would have political and legal consequences, and threatened to refer the resolution to the Constitutional Court for review.

The president justified his veto by stating that Brussels could “arbitrarily” suspend EU funds through the conditionality mechanism, which would jeopardize national financial stability.

The dispute reflects a clash of visions: Tusk’s liberal, pro-European government seeks to capitalize on Poland’s status as the largest beneficiary of the SAFE program, receiving almost a third of the total allocation.

Nawrocki, a conservative and Eurosceptic, proposed an alternative called “Polish SAFE 0%,” financed exclusively with profits from the National Bank of Poland, thus avoiding external debt but limiting the amount of resources.

The presidential proposal was drafted by Adam Glapinski, governor of the Central Bank of Poland, but Tusk rejected it, calling it “unclear” and accusing Glapinski of being a “liar” with “empty proposals.”

teleSUR: JP

Source: EFE

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