The Senate has adopted amendments to the bill implementing the EU rearmament mechanism SAFE. They stipulate, among other things, that repayment of the loan taken out under the program will not be covered by the budget of the Ministry of National Defence and that the use of EU funds will be subject to anti-corruption and counterintelligence oversight.
The bill with amendments was supported by 61 senators, 26 voted against, and no one abstained. The legislation will now return to the Sejm.
The Bill Returns to the Sejm
The amendments introduced by the Senate were prepared by the governing coalition. One of them provides that expenses related to the repayment and banking services of the SAFE loan will not be counted toward the minimum defence spending threshold. A dedicated reserve is to be established in the state budget for this purpose.
Another amendment introduces an obligation for anti-corruption and counterintelligence oversight of the use of funds from the SAFE loan by the Internal Security Agency (ABW), the Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW), and the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA), as well as reporting requirements regarding the conduct of this oversight. A further amendment expands the obligation to submit a report on the implementation of the financial plan of the Financial Instrument for Security Enhancement (FIZB) to the relevant Senate committees.
The Senate rejected amendments proposed by Law and Justice (PiS). Senators from Law and Justice (PiS) sought, among other things, to introduce a preamble to the bill stating that a “conditionality mechanism” could not be applied to the loan funds, which – according to Law and Justice (PiS) – could in the future become an element of political blackmail against states that disagree with EU policies.