“The SAFE program is proof of resurgent German neo-imperialism, in which on the one hand we will be financing industry under the dictate of the European Commission dominated by Germany, and on the other hand we will be blackmailed with non-payment for contracts already concluded,” said Tomasz Sakiewicz, President of TV Republika, in an interview with Niezalezna.pl. Back in 2020, Sakiewicz warned about a similar mechanism in connection with the Recovery Fund in his well-known article “They Will Steal Our Money and Make Us Repay Other People’s Debts. The Trap of the EU Coronavirus Fund”.
Growing Controversy Around the SAFE Program
A few days ago, the Sejm passed a bill concerning the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) financial instrument, prepared by the Minister of National Defence. The law is intended to enable Poland to draw on funds from the EU’s SAFE program in the form of a loan. Poland has applied for a loan exceeding €43.7 billion – nearly PLN 200 billion.
The opposition has criticized the bill, arguing that the funds will likely flow primarily to the defense industries in France and Germany. It also points to a lack of transparency in the financing of projects under SAFE.
The Niezalezna.pl portal revealed that the largest grant under the program is set to go not to a state entity but to a private company, Polska Amunicja, linked to the current ruling camp. The company is expected to receive €2.3 billion for ammunition production – approximately 300,000 units. There are also serious concerns regarding the “conditionality mechanism”. In the event of a return to power by Law and Justice (PiS), there is a high risk that the disbursement of funds could be blocked, as was the case with the Recovery Fund.
Sakiewicz Warned About the Recovery Fund Back in 2020
As early as December 2020, the Editor-in-Chief of Gazeta Polska, Tomasz Sakiewicz, outlined a scenario of difficulties in obtaining funds from the Recovery Fund in his article “They Will Steal Our Money and Make Us Repay Other People’s Debts. The Trap of the EU Coronavirus Fund”.
“The Recovery Fund, called Next Generation EU, is a cleverly concealed trap for smaller EU member states. If disbursements from it are linked to ‘the rule of law,’ it may turn out that Poland will not receive a single cent, yet will still repay a substantial portion of the €750 billion borrowed to create this fund,” wrote Tomasz Sakiewicz.
Sakiewicz pointed out that the Recovery Fund created “a dependency of individual states on a joint loan that they will jointly guarantee”, along with a plan for common taxes to repay it.
“The decision effectively establishes a federation on our continent. We will guarantee other people’s debts as if they were our own and pay taxes that will immediately bypass the Polish budget. Of course, this requires the consent of the Polish parliament, but from the moment that consent is given, Poland will become part of a federal state with governance rules not fully defined. One cannot leave a federation until the Union has repaid the entire loan,” the Editor-in-Chief of Gazeta Polska indicated.
Tomasz Sakiewicz predicted that in the ongoing dispute over the “conditionality mechanism”, under a worst-case scenario Poland “will get the debt but not the money”.
“Of course, in theory one can renounce those disbursements and do as one wishes – meaning that instead of the status of a colony, we would obtain the higher status of a vassal state with some degree of independence in exchange for paying the EU contribution. But the Recovery Fund may take away even those hopes. After ratification of the fund by the Polish parliament, even leaving the European Union will not free us from the incurred debt. We will continue to guarantee the €750 billion. Secondly, the EU will collect new taxes on our territory to repay the debts. This already means an open intrusion into our fiscal system and bypassing our budget with regard to money collected from Polish taxpayers,” he warned.
Sakiewicz for Niezalezna.pl: “This Is Proof of Resurgent German Neo-Imperialism”
The Niezalezna.pl portal asked Tomasz Sakiewicz, President of TV Republika, for comment. In his view, “the SAFE program is proof of resurgent German neo-imperialism, in which on the one hand we will be financing industry under the dictate of the European Commission dominated by Germany, and on the other hand we will be blackmailed with non-payment for contracts already concluded if we fail to meet further political conditions imposed by that same European Commission”.
“The SAFE program confirms the worst fears regarding how the European Union operates and the dark picture painted by its critics. Contrary to appearances, it may constitute serious evidence – much like the controversial EU-Mercosur agreement – that the Union is ceasing to fulfill its original role and no longer operates in accordance with its founding principles,” Sakiewicz concluded.