Poland has submitted an official application to the European Commission for funds from the EU rearmament programme – SAFE. But… is there really anything to celebrate?
During the night from Friday to Saturday, Poland submitted an official application to the European Commission for funds from the EU rearmament programme – SAFE.
Poland is counting on EUR 43.7 billion (approx. PLN 190 billion) under this instrument. The first funds are expected to reach the country in March.
The government’s SAFE Plenipotentiary, Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, stated that Poland’s application was exceptionally extensive because it concerns the largest amount – nearly one third of the entire programme’s budget. Poland expects EUR 43.7 billion (approx. PLN 190 billion) from the EUR 150 billion (approx. PLN 645 billion) pool.
What will the funds be allocated to?
The government of Donald Tusk has announced that 89 percent of the EU funds will be invested in the domestic defence industry. However – no specifics have been provided.
And it is precisely this issue that Mariusz Błaszczak, former Minister of National Defence, elaborates on today, noting that this is nothing more than loans that Poles will be repaying in the future.
“I assess the secrecy surrounding information about individual projects, and even the general assumptions of the submitted document, negatively. The SAFE fund consists of loans that Poles will be repaying for decades through their taxes. We have the right to know what our money will be spent on – this is how all defence procurement works. When the Law and Justice government adopted the Strengthening Package – meaning the procurement of military equipment resulting from a sharp increase in the budget under the Homeland Defence Act – this was done within a framework of parliamentary consensus, and the Package itself was created in consultations with the opposition,” wrote the politician.
As Błaszczak notes, “according to media leaks, from the SAFE fund we will only refinance the infantry fighting vehicle BWP Borsuk contract cut down by the government. It is a major mistake that the Ministry of National Defence did not try to acquire additional vehicles, because the contract for slightly over one hundred units does not meet the needs of the Polish Armed Forces.”
He then points to the problem that is, in fact… the lack of concrete information regarding the application.
“The announcement of purchasing drones and anti-drone systems is a good sign, but details are missing. The government should use the SAFE fund to build capabilities that the Ukrainians have developed – low-cost, easy-to-operate UAVs that will massively strengthen the resources of the Polish Armed Forces,” he explains.
In his view, the justification provided by the 13 December coalition government regarding 89 percent of investments in the Polish defence industry is nothing more than a propaganda slogan.
“The actual level of financial engagement in the Polish defence sector depends on how many orders will be carried out in the first stage. The second stage – common defence procurement – will bring benefits only to the German and French industries,” Błaszczak continues.
“We have no information as to whether the government intends to request Piorun MANPADS, Rak mortars, Rosomak APCs or products from the Fabryka Broni in Radom. This should be an absolute priority” – the former minister stresses. He also writes in his post that he views “the announcement of allocating approx. PLN 10 billion to Ukraine” negatively.
“The time of donations is over – it is time for the Polish defence industry to become the beneficiary of cooperation with our eastern neighbour. Funds from SAFE should go toward developing Polish factories and increasing production capacity so that excellent Polish weaponry can be sold to Ukraine,” he concludes.