By the end of May, Poland must sign contracts under the EU’s SAFE program, yet – as reported by Niezalezna.pl – not a single one of the agreements and annexes announced by the Ministry of National Defense has been concluded so far. Although Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz assures that negotiations will be finalized in the last days of the month, former head of the Ministry of National Defense Mariusz Błaszczak warns that “this is not done at the last minute” and cautions about the risk of losing billions that could go to the Polish defense industry.
On May 8, a SAFE (Security Action for Europe) loan “agreement” for Poland was signed at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister. In practice, this means opening a credit line for the country under this European Union financial instrument. There is still no advance payment – instead, there is rising interest. And one more thing is still missing – signed contracts with Polish companies. Not a single one. Only a few days remain.
The deadline for individual contracts under the so-called single procurement expires on May 30, 2026. A very large portion of Poland’s SAFE-related purchases presented to Brussels in the so-called national plan consists precisely of independent procurements by the Ministry of National Defense from the domestic defense industry.
Kosiniak-Kamysz Promised, but Gives Himself “a Few Last Days”
As previously reported, during the ceremony Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced that by the end of May Poland would sign “40 new agreements and annexes to previously concluded contracts for the delivery of military equipment. They will cover all branches of the armed forces – Land Forces, Navy, Air Force, Territorial Defense Forces, Special Forces, Cyber Defense Forces, and Drone Forces.”
Moreover, the head of the Ministry of National Defense reiterated his earlier declaration that 89% of Poland’s SAFE funds would go to domestic companies. He emphasized the role of the Armament Agency and the Ministry of State Assets, which are expected to work intensively in the coming days – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – to finalize the contracts and conclude the necessary agreements by the end of the month.
Today, the same message was delivered on Polsat News by Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk. For now, however, progress remains very weak. A few days ago, Niezalezna.pl confirmed with the Armament Agency that none of the 40 new agreements and annexes had been signed so far. Some are still at the stage of verification, negotiations with companies, and review by the General Counsel to the Republic of Poland, ahead of approval by the SAFE Steering Committee – just one week before the deadline. Despite this, assurances continue that everything will be completed. Yesterday, Kosiniak-Kamysz announced that the finalization of most SAFE contracts would take place on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday – leaving only the last three days of the month for the process.
Błaszczak: This Is Not Done at the Last Minute
The former head of the Ministry of National Defense also highlighted the rapidly approaching deadline and the lack of signed contracts. “Most contracts under the Brussels-based SAFE program are to be finalized in the last 3-4 days before the deadline. If they are finalized at all,” wrote Mariusz Błaszczak on platform X.
The former defense minister stressed: “Negotiating defense contracts requires time if the state wants to secure good terms for Poland and the Polish industry. This is not done ‘at the last minute.’ In this case, we are seeing a race to meet Brussels’ expectations. The Polish Armed Forces are of no importance to them.”
He concluded: “Let me remind you – if contracts in the single procurement formula are not concluded by the end of May, the second stage of SAFE will remain – and then a much larger share of funds may go to foreign industry instead of Polish factories and jobs.”