“First, there was Tusk’s SAFE, now there is the POLISH Safe! Checkmate – PLN 185 billion for the Polish military without a loan, without decision-making from Brussels, and without Berlin’s procurement list,” wrote Member of the European Parliament Bogdan Rzońca on X. “President Karol Nawrocki proposes a POLISH SAFE 0% instead of SAFE. (…) A game changer!” commented Maciej Wąsik. More posts are appearing on social media referring to the proposal for the “Polish SEJF 0%” program presented by the president.
During a press conference, President Karol Nawrocki announced a proposal for an alternative to the SAFE program. The solution, called “Polish SEJF 0%,” would make it possible to finance armaments without borrowing from EU institutions.
“Today, after weeks of meetings between experts at the Chancellery of the President, as well as following the actions of the President of the National Bank of Poland (…), we discussed the Polish SEJF 0%,”
the president said.
As he explained, the National Bank of Poland could provide as much as PLN 185 billion for the modernization and armament of the Polish Armed Forces.
“This is a sovereign alternative that will not involve any interest, a loan lasting until 2070, or dependence on the political situation within the EU,”
Nawrocki emphasized.
The president also announced that he would send a letter to Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, inviting them to talks regarding the SEJF 0% project.
Politicians and public commentators also addressed the SEJF 0% proposal on social media.
Maciej Wąsik, Member of the European Parliament and former Deputy Minister of the Interior, wrote that the proposal represents an alternative to the EU SAFE program. In his view, funds from the National Bank of Poland could be allocated directly to arm the Polish Armed Forces. As he added, it would be, as he put it, a “game changer.”
The concept was also addressed by Bogdan Rzońca, a PiS MEP, who stated that instead of the SAFE program, a “Polish Safe” is emerging. According to him, this would mean transferring PLN 185 billion to the Polish army without a loan and without decision-making power from EU institutions.
Max Hübner, a public affairs commentator, assessed the proposal in a similar way, calling it a “political master stroke” by President Karol Nawrocki and an alternative to the SAFE mechanism linked to the European Union.
“A political master stroke by President Karol Nawrocki, who announced POLISH SEJF 0% as an alternative to SAFE linked to the EU. On top of that, he has left himself leverage in the form of a decision on vetoing the previous SAFE – he has three weeks to do it. An unbelievable GOAT,”
he wrote.
Mateusz Kurzejewski, deputy spokesperson for PiS, in turn, indicated that, in his opinion, a solution based on financing through the National Bank of Poland would be more advantageous than using the EU mechanism. In his post, he emphasized the need to build, as he wrote, a “sovereign and strong Polish Armed Forces.”
Sebastian Kaleta, a PiS MP and former Deputy Minister of Justice, also commented on the matter. In his post, he described the proposal as a “fantastic move” and suggested that, in his view, increasing funding for the Polish army could take place through bonds financed by the National Bank of Poland.
“A fantastic move by the President regarding SAFE. If the government truly wants to strengthen the Polish army further, it can do so with Poles through bonds via the NBP, rather than with the Germans through the EU, so that they gain greater control over us. It seems the President is moving toward vetoing the bill with a proposal for a concrete financial alternative. It looks good!”
he wrote.
Mariusz Błaszczak, former Minister of National Defence, stated:
“Poland first, Poles first! A great initiative by President Nawrocki and NBP President Adam Glapiński. Polish SAFE 0%, meaning cooperation with the NBP in strengthening the army, means a sovereign Polish Armed Forces and independence from harmful EU loans,”
he wrote.