“The President of Poland, who will be 87 in 2070, is being encouraged by the Prime Minister, who will be 110 in 2070, to sign within three days a credit obligation for the citizens of the Republic of Poland, including those who are now 10-12 years old. Surely our governing officials can wait a bit longer for the signing of this law if we are talking about committing entire generations until 2070. Especially when such a wonderful alternative appears in the form of the Polish SAFE 0%”, said President Karol Nawrocki today during a press conference following a meeting with the President of Romania, Nicusor Dan.
On Wednesday, during a press conference, President Karol Nawrocki presented a proposal for an alternative to the SAFE program. The solution, called “Polish SAFE 0%”, would enable the financing of armaments without taking out a loan from European Union institutions.
“The point is that over the past few years the National Bank of Poland has pursued a very active and well-thought-out policy related to investing in reserves, both currency and gold. We have nearly one trillion PLN in reserves accumulated at the National Bank of Poland. We have 550 tons of gold and reserves in various currencies, mainly in dollars and euros, but also in other currencies,” explained the spokesperson for the President of Poland, Rafał Leśkiewicz.
He further pointed out that “in just the last 30 months, investment operations using the reserves held by the National Bank of Poland generated revenue of more than 180 billion PLN.”
“We are talking about reserves and an investment process based on the reserves of the National Bank of Poland. We can use the funds that, based on investments made with those reserves, could finance a program supporting the Polish army,” he added.
The proposal has been criticized by the governing majority and is being presented rather as an additional solution alongside the European SAFE program than as an alternative to it.
Today, during a press conference following a meeting with the President of Romania, Nicusor Dan, Karol Nawrocki indicated that a meeting with Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz is scheduled for today. The President of the National Bank of Poland, Prof. Adam Glapiński, will also participate in another meeting.
“I have been presented with the entire action plan. In just 30 months, thanks to the work of the National Bank of Poland, we Poles managed to earn the amount needed to finance the Polish SEJF 0% program – 185 billion PLN,” the president said.
“How is it possible that we live in a situation where, without analyzing the financial capabilities of the central bank – whose actions and project together with the President of Poland give us the possibility of financing Polish armaments at the level of 185 billion PLN – the authorities either do not know about this possibility today or have not made the effort to build the Polish SEJF 0% program, while pushing Poles into such deep emotions about a loan from the European Union lasting until 2070? This is a question for those who raise doubts – why, without examining the situation and the possibility of financing it without a burdensome and conditional loan from the EU, (…) are they waiting so nervously for the president’s decision on the European SAFE?” added Karol Nawrocki.
He admitted that he has a statutory time to make the decision and that “no one will put pressure on the president.”
“If, as a national community and as the Polish state, we are able to propose a stable, safe and practical solution, without conditionality, flexible and supporting the development of the Polish arms industry and purchases worldwide wherever we want to buy the best equipment for the Polish army – then why did no one propose this earlier, and why are we living in deep emotions, socially inflamed, that it is either the European SAFE or death? That is not the case,” the president indicated.