“The government did not consult the presidential office regarding the treaty with the United Kingdom signed on Wednesday in London,” said the Head of the International Policy Bureau, Marcin Przydacz. In his view, this does not reflect the professionalism of the Polish government.
The Prime Ministers of Poland and the United Kingdom, Donald Tusk and Keir Starmer, are set to sign a security and defence partnership treaty in London on Wednesday. A similar treaty (on enhanced cooperation and friendship) was signed by Poland last year in Nancy with France.
Przydacz emphasized on Wednesday that the treaty with the United Kingdom is another arrangement concerning bilateral security guarantees, following the Nancy treaty. He added that it was “incomprehensible that the Polish government did not in any way consult or discuss this treaty with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.”
“I was, of course, in contact with the British side, and from the British side I often had much more detailed information on how the negotiations were progressing and what the specific provisions looked like. It does not speak to the professionalism of the Polish government that it avoids substantive discussions on such important matters as the security of the Polish state,” said Przydacz.
He also pointed out that the treaty with the United Kingdom requires so-called major ratification, meaning approval by the Sejm and Senate in the form of a ratification act, followed by ratification by the President.
The Prime Minister’s Office stated that the list of projects implementing the treaty with the United Kingdom will include cooperation in countering hybrid threats, disinformation, and illegal migration. It also covers the development of defence capabilities, cooperation between defence industries, cybersecurity, as well as the security of maritime infrastructure, energy, and health.
Last year, on May 9, Poland signed a treaty on enhanced cooperation and friendship with France, which includes a clause on military support in the event of an attack on either country. The treaty also covers cooperation in the areas of the defence industry, economy, agriculture, and science.