“It would be good if our American partners expressing critical views about the SAFE loan were able to reflect on a positive offer that could also contribute to the discussion in Poland”, said Law and Justice (PiS) MP Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk on the program “Michał #Rachoń” on TV Republika. In his view, the Americans should propose an attractive loan to Poland for the purchase of military equipment.
SAFE – Should the Americans Present Their Own Proposal?
With each passing day, controversy surrounding the EU SAFE loan continues to grow. Andrew Puzder, U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, and Matthew Whitaker, U.S. Ambassador to NATO, wrote in a commentary published by Politico that cooperation between the United States and the European Union in defense is “more important than ever”, and that “restricting the participation of the American defense industry in European public procurement programs threatens this partnership and weakens collective security”.
They also recalled that EDIP and SAFE, by maintaining control over the design, configuration, and subsequent modifications of defense systems, “threaten intellectual property rights, restrict supply chains, and hinder transatlantic interoperability”.
Speaking on “Michał #Rachoń” on TV Republika, Law and Justice (PiS) MP Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk noted that “one of the SAFE criteria is a procurement requirement – it is unclear how it will be calculated – whether by value or by the share of components in a given piece of equipment”.
He explained that two-thirds of the funds spent under SAFE must be allocated to equipment produced within the European Union, the European Economic Area, and Ukraine. “Perhaps even some vehicles or defense products manufactured in Poland will not be eligible for financing under this program, because we import many components from outside the EU. This is the case, for example, with the Krab self-propelled howitzers. The doubts concern not only whether we will be able to purchase ready-made equipment from overseas, but whether we will be able to purchase equipment manufactured in Poland”, he pointed out.
The politician stated that in his opinion, “it would be good if our American partners expressing critical voices were able to reflect on some kind of positive offer that could also contribute to the discussion in Poland”. He added that they could present an offer enabling Poland to have more sources of financing for its own defense on the table. “The Americans are very good partners one can rely on. It is worth considering whether the United States could reflect on some kind of loan facility similar to the solutions proposed in the EU”, he explained.
In his view, “ideally, these solutions should be more attractive for Poland”.
“I think it would benefit everyone. The more such offers and opportunities on the table, the better for Poland’s security”, he concluded.
Controversy Surrounding SAFE
Over the past year, the German defense sector – led by Rheinmetall – has signed a number of agreements in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, and Italy, preparing for the launch of the EU SAFE loan fund. Poland is expected to incur a record €43.7 billion in debt under the mechanism, and there are strong indications that a significant portion of these funds will go to German arms manufacturers.
Under the SAFE fund, approximately €800 million is to be allocated to four state-owned companies belonging to the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) for the production of 155 mm ammunition. This is more than twice less than the €2.3 billion earmarked for a private company owned by Paweł Poncyljusz from Civic Coalition (KO), which – unlike PGZ plants – does not have its own production capacity or a license to manufacture ammunition.
According to findings by Niezalezna.pl, it was the government that sought to have the company Polska Amunicja placed on the list of SAFE beneficiaries. Following its privatization in 2024, the company recorded a loss of PLN 5.4 million and announced that it would cover the loss from future profits.
Meanwhile, Prof. Ryszard Piotrowski, a constitutional law expert, assessed that the SAFE program is inconsistent with both the Polish Constitution and the Treaty on European Union.