Approved agreements concerning loans under the EU SAFE program are expected to be sent to Brussels on Thursday. Their signing is planned for the first week of May, Rzeczpospolita reported today. These reports were confirmed by the Minister of Finance, Andrzej Domański. “I think it is likely that these agreements will be signed as early as next week,” he stated.
A few days ago, the government plenipotentiary Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka told the Polish Press Agency that “Poland would sign an agreement with the European Commission regarding the SAFE program within a few days.”
“The funds from the program will be used, among other things, to acquire drone technologies from Ukraine. This comes despite a veto from the Polish president,” she added.
Asked about the matter during a press conference yesterday in Dubrovnik, Croatia, President Nawrocki replied: “For me, the SAFE issue is – after my decision – closed. I am not doing anything to counteract matters that the government takes responsibility for. My veto was a clear expression of attachment to Poland’s sovereignty.”
“For me, no conditionality mechanisms are acceptable. What happens next is a matter for the government’s decisions. I have concluded the SAFE issue with my decision regarding the law,” he added.
EU SAFE to be signed shortly after the long May weekend?
Rzeczpospolita reports today that the agreements approved by Poland concerning SAFE loans are to be sent to Brussels on Thursday, with their signing planned for the first week of May. By May 30, several dozen agreements and annexes related to the purchase of military equipment from the domestic defense industry are also expected to be concluded.
This information was confirmed in an interview with Radio Zet by Andrzej Domański, Minister of Finance in the government of Donald Tusk.
“I think it is likely that these agreements will be signed as early as next week. However, I do not yet know the exact schedule,” he said.
When asked whether negotiations with Brussels had been difficult, he replied: “Negotiations with Brussels are often difficult, but I can say that the final outcome of the agreement is very beneficial for Poland.”
Later in the interview, he spoke positively about the country’s significant debt under the EU SAFE program.
“The SAFE program amounts to tens of billions of euros, meaning hundreds of billions of zlotys for the modernization of the Polish army. This is a qualitative shift in thinking in Brussels that will translate into a qualitative improvement in the condition of the Polish army and its technical equipment,” Domański said.