“The EU SAFE loan may be the first step toward abandoning the złoty and bringing Poland into the eurozone,” argues PiS MEP Adam Bielan. The politician points to remarks by Radosław Sikorski regarding exchange rate risk and claims that the current government will use rising program costs as an argument for adopting the common currency.
SAFE, a long-term EU loan, continues to spark controversy. President Karol Nawrocki refused to allow Poland to take on such a financial obligation, vetoing the bill. Despite this – Donald Tusk’s government developed a “Plan B” and adopted a resolution. The haste was necessary due to the deadline for signing the first national contracts financed by the program, which expired at the end of May. This – day after day – was highlighted by the opposition, led by former Minister of National Defence Mariusz Błaszczak.
Moreover, findings by Niezalezna.pl indicate that negotiations over agreements within the national part of SAFE took place in a scandalous atmosphere. The military and the government are forcing defense companies to sign extremely unfavorable annexes that turn the financing system upside down. Their representatives openly spoke about the risk of being accused of acting to the detriment of their own companies.
Although the agreement has been signed by ministers of Donald Tusk’s government – the final cost of the massive loan and the interest rate that will have to be repaid remain unknown. According to the latest media findings – the repayment amount is already 8 billion złoty higher.
Recently, Deputy Minister of National Defence Cezary Tomczyk boasted about the “purchase of 300,000 helmets for 700 million złoty”. This met with a sharp reaction from the opposition.
“A €44 billion loan, and Tusk’s deputy minister considers… buying helmets his greatest success. Helmets are necessary – they are a key element of individual equipment – but you don’t need to take out a loan and make our security dependent on arbitrary decisions of the European Commission to buy them. During the PiS government, we purchased over 100,000 Kevlar helmets without needing a loan. Tomczyk ‘Kłamczyk’ and Kosiniak-Kamysz ‘Maverick’ did not buy a single one in 2025,” wrote Mariusz Błaszczak, former head of the Ministry of National Defence.
Bielan: “Sikorski’s words were not accidental“
This morning, the SAFE loan was discussed on TV Republika. PiS MEP Adam Bielan said: “We referred to that scandalous video published by Deputy Minister Tomczyk, in which he boasted about helmets. And I would like to present very important data regarding the level of use by the current government and Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz in 2024 and 2025 of funds from the Polish budget that were not burdened with all these negative conditions, that were not taken in the form of loans in euros on international financial markets, and that do not involve indebting Poles for 45 years. In Poland, there is the Armed Forces Support Fund, created during the Law and Justice government, and in 2024 this fund amounted to 50 billion złoty.”
As he emphasized “Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz used only 60% of this fund. 20 billion złoty in 2024 remained unspent. The cost of helmets alone is 700 million złoty. Not contracted and not spent at all. 20 billion złoty from the Polish budget was left untouched.”
“In 2025 it was slightly better, as the utilization level of the Armed Forces Support Fund was 78%, but still several billion złoty remained unused. These were funds that should have been allocated to purchases ten times larger than the one Tomczyk boasts about, without the need to take out loans in foreign currency. And here I want to raise a very important issue – why this loan is taken abroad, why it is issued in euros,” he continued.
He recalled the words of Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, referring to the following statement:
“It is true that by borrowing SAFE funds in EUR (or USD), we incur exchange rate risk. This can be eliminated by purchasing insurance or by joining the eurozone. Moreover, it works both ways. If over 45 years the złoty strengthens against the euro, we will repay less, not more.”
Bielan pointed out: “Very important words by Radosław Sikorski, now Deputy Prime Minister, went largely unnoticed. He said that this exchange rate risk – which is serious today and will remain so for many years, as we do not even know whether the eurozone will exist in 45 years – can be eliminated. In one way. Poland should adopt the euro, in Sikorski’s view. And we know very well that Tusk dreams of introducing the euro. Back in 2008, in the first year of his first term as Prime Minister, he announced Poland’s entry into the eurozone. Then the financial crisis broke out and he could not implement it, but this remains a key task assigned to him, particularly by Germany.”
Asked whether this is the government’s plan, he replied: “This is only a prelude to what will happen.”
“The first tranche and interest rate are already much higher than expected. We are already paying 8 billion more. In autumn it will turn out that we are paying another 20 billion złoty more. And before the elections, the government will say: listen, the situation on global markets has changed, interest rates are so high that we are deeply in debt. We have a lifeline – the European Commission is throwing it to us, but for Poland not to drown in debt, we must win the elections, we will bring Poland into the eurozone, and then those parts… the Commission will write off,” said the PiS MEP.
As he continued: “This is the main goal of German policy toward Poland for many years – bringing Poland into the eurozone. At the same time, we know public opinion polls. The vast majority of Poles oppose adopting the euro.”
“It is well understood that the Polish economy would lose competitiveness, especially in the conditions of a recession that unfortunately seems to be approaching. This would mean very high inflation and sharp increases in basic goods. Particularly less affluent people would feel it financially. That is why I do not agree that Tusk will speak about it before the elections. I believe it will be exactly like with raising the retirement age, which was implemented by Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. Before the 2011 elections, there was no mention of it. After the elections, Tusk and Kosiniak-Kamysz introduced it. I think it will be exactly the same with Poland’s entry into the eurozone. If, God forbid, there is another Tusk government, there will also be the migration pact, which will not be blocked in any way. Sikorski’s words prove this,” he added.
Przydacz: “An absurd proposal“
Recently, media reports have highlighted a “proposal” to repay the SAFE loan… with gold from the National Bank of Poland. This comes despite the fact that, as a reminder – the Polish SAFE 0% proposal, put forward by President Karol Nawrocki and NBP President Adam Glapiński as an alternative to the EU loan, was criticized and rejected by the ruling side.
According to Marcin Przydacz, head of the International Policy Bureau, such reports are “an absurd proposal.”
“Excuse me. Taking a loan just to repay it with our own gold? I understand that only a German bank would profit from this. Wouldn’t it be better to simply use that gold and buy equipment directly? The point is not even to get rid of the gold. Its value has increased significantly due to Professor Glapiński’s purchases a few years ago. The National Bank of Poland, as the issuer of money, can revalue this gold and issue additional money. There is simply more money. Paradoxically, we can have our cake and eat it too. But this is not empty money, because it is backed by the value of gold. This could have been a masterstroke. The Polish army could have been financed using Polish gold without indebting ourselves for 45 years,” he assessed.
Sobkowiak-Czarnecka to replace the Prime Minister?
That is not all. Media reports have also suggested that Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, the government’s plenipotentiary for SAFE, may be in line for a government position. There are even theories that she could head the government… instead of Donald Tusk. This was commented on by PiS MEP Adam Bielan.
“Another very important piece of information was mentioned here about hundreds of millions, if not billions, spent on PR. Parliamentary elections were approaching. To this day, the issue of illegal financing of Rafał Trzaskowski’s campaign remains unresolved. There was extensive evidence presented by the media of illegal foreign financing, mainly from Soros foundations. Let us recall that during the presidential campaign, while funding for the largest opposition party – Law and Justice – was illegally withheld, Rafał Trzaskowski resorted to illegal foreign funding,” said the PiS politician.
As he emphasized “we have clear evidence of what SAFE is really about. At the same time, there are leaks that Ms. Sobkowiak may become the new face of the government. There may be a cabinet reshuffle and she could even become Prime Minister to save the Polish People’s Party and Civic Platform from electoral defeat. If anyone does not know what this is about – it is about money, money for the election campaign, for PR. And exactly as you said, we need to carefully examine which PR agencies will receive contracts to promote this scandal.”