“The December 13 coalition is stripping Poland of its sovereignty in financial matters related to security and defense. They want to bind us to a European Union loan for 45 years. The interest rate on this loan is not fixed,” said Law and Justice (PiS) Senator Wojciech Skurkiewicz during the Senate debate on the SAFE loan bill.
Senate Debate on the SAFE Loan
Today, the Senate took up the SAFE loan bill. During his speech, Law and Justice (PiS) Senator Wojciech Skurkiewicz explained in detail why, in his view, the bill in its current form poses a significant threat to Poland’s sovereignty.
Under Polish law, there are mechanisms that allow the state to use various instruments – including debt instruments – to support security, national defense, and technical modernization. The Armed Forces Support Fund, which is also referenced in this bill, provides the possibility to take out loans and issue bonds. Yesterday, at a joint committee meeting, a representative of the Ministry of Finance stated that the most recent bonds sold, including those denominated in euros, carried a yield of 2.5 percent, with a maximum of 4.5 percent. “Please explain to me what this is really about?” he said.
Law and Justice (PiS) Senator on the SAFE Bill: “There Are Many Controversies”
The senator recalled that “we have the ability to use financial resources, to take out loans and credits – and we can decide 100 percent on what those funds will be spent and where contracts will be placed.”
“You refuse to acknowledge this and are stripping away sovereignty in financial matters related to security and defense. The point is that you want to bind us to a European Union loan for 45 years. The interest rate on this loan is not fixed – it will be determined each year. In addition to the variable interest rate, the country’s credit rating will play a key role. Poland already has the ability to use the instrument provided by the Homeland Defense Act. We can issue bonds and decide for how long and in what amount to obtain these financial resources,” he stated.
He also referred to information disclosed by the Niezalezna portal that “a company managed by former Civic Platform (KO) MP Paweł Poncyliusz is reportedly to receive 20 billion PLN.”
“This document contains no details indicating that it should have a restricted classification. Only two companies are listed – and where are the others? Do you really not want to inform the public about the companies that will benefit from these funds? We did not receive classified information before the committee meeting, even though it is a key aspect of the SAFE project,” Skurkiewicz said.
In his opinion, “there are many controversies, including the principle of conditionality, which could be used to call a conservative government to order.”
“You want to have a tool to reprimand and discipline a future government that, in 2027, will decide on key matters concerning our homeland. If that is not the case, then explain to citizens why Hungary has been excluded from the SAFE program. That is because elections will be held in Hungary in a few weeks. […] The principle of conditionality is unacceptable. We will propose a preamble to the bill to at least minimize the risks in this way,” he concluded.