W Brussels is becoming increasingly afraid about the protracted controversy surrounding the Polish participation in the SAFE programme. Officially, the European Commission maintains that the Polish plan is "very solid", but the findings of the RMF FM show that the uncertainty surrounding the conflict between the government of Donald Tusk and Karol Nawrocki is expanding in EU institutions. The case concerns the largest national defence backing package in the full EU programme.
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The largest beneficiary of the scheme
SAFE, safety Action for Europe, is an EU debt facility worth up to EUR 150 billion, designed to let associate States to finance defence investments. Poland can receive EUR 43.734 billion from this mechanism, the largest of all participants in the programme. The Government of Donald Tusk stresses that the mobilisation of these measures requires the adoption of national laws and the finalisation of the implementation procedure. From the position of the European Commission, this is crucial for the timetable for launching the programme.
Government-President dispute
The origin of tension is Karol Nawrocki's position towards the Act on the implementation of SAFE in Poland. alternatively of supporting a government solution, the president presented an alternate concept called "Polish SAFE 0%’. The announcements of the Presidential Palace show that this model would be based on national resources and possible profits of the National Bank of Poland, without launching an EU loan. The government replies that the proposed solution is not the same as the instrument agreed at EU level and does not supply the same legal or financial basis today.
The statutory way continues
Although there is more and more talk about possible opposition from the president in the Kuluaras, the procedure continues formally. According to the information provided by the President's Chancellery Head, Karol Nawrocki has until 20 March to decide on the law on the implementation of SAFE in Poland. This is crucial for the European Commission due to the fact that it is about the mechanics essential to launch the Polish part of the EU defence backing programme, from which Poland can receive EUR 43.734 billion. Each subsequent day of hold prolongs the uncertainty surrounding the largest national package in the full instrument and strengthens questions about whether Warsaw will be able to decision from political dispute to formal implementation of the program.
Official position and unofficial signals from Brussels
The European Commission has not announced publically that it is changing the assessment of the Polish plan. The authoritative transmission remains cautious and comes down to stressing that Poland is the largest beneficiary of SAFE. At the same time, RMF FM and Onet, citing unofficial sources in Brussels, inform about the "serious concern" situation and concerns about the predictability of the Polish implementation.
Dispute Rate
The dispute concerns not only the mode of mobilisation but besides the scale of the planned investments. SAFE is to finance military purchases, infrastructure, military mobility and part of the efforts to strengthen the state's resilience. The government underlines that a large part of the measures could stay in the country and support the Polish defence manufacture and logistics facilities. From the point of view of the EU institutions, it is crucial that the programme in which Poland plays a central function due to the scale of the backing granted.
DF, thefad.pl / Source: RMF FM
