President puts forward the proposal of a "Polish SAFE 0%"
We have a tangible Polish alternative to SAFE, secure and sovereign, one which does not bear any particular interest rate, so this is a “SAFE 0%”, announced President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki following his meeting with the President of the National Bank of Poland Adam Glapiński.
– We met with the President of the Central Bank to fine–tune the initiative that will secure PLN 185 billion for Poland. The funds will not incur interest and will not constitute credit obligations until 2070. They will also not be tied to any changes in the situation within the European Union. They will give the Polish Armed Forces the flexibility they need to choose equipment from the EU or other regions of the world, the President declared at a press conference.
“Today, we are putting forward this proposal”, he stated.
Karol Nawrocki highlighted that the mechanism in question, the “Polish SAFE 0%” requires the consent of the President of Poland, the initiative and the green light from the President of the National Bank but also active commitment of the Polish Government. – 'In this triangle of cooperation, Poland can afford to roll out the “Polish SAFE 0%”,' he emphasised. The President said that, if necessary, his Chancellery would spearhead legislative action to streamline the process.
On Wednesday, he will send a letter to Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak–Kamysz, inviting them to a meeting about “Polish SAFE 0%”.
Following today’s meeting with Professor Glapiński and in the light of experts’ analyses I have no doubt that the „Polish SAFE 0%” is better for the country’s Armed Forces than the European SAFE with all the encumbrance entailed. This having duly considered the need for stable development of the Polish Armed Forces, and financial and legal issues at hand, concluded the President.
The President underscored that security equals stability. And absence of stability is tantamount to insecurity. He pointed out that there is an ongoing public debate on the SAFE programme. – To my mind, the level of emotion in the debate is too high, which does not serve either our situation in Poland or good decision–making, – noted the President. He said he would take his decision after weighing all the arguments.
It will be the best solution for Poland, but we must take into account the risks that are emerging in public opinion, he pointed out.
He noted that the SAFE programme loan will be repaid by people who are teenagers today. „We must take all this into account, including the specific, substantial problems surrounding the constitutionality of the SAFE solutions, and the fact that they are incompatible with Article 4 of the EU Treaty, which states that security is the responsibility of the Member States and not the European Union,” he said.
He also assessed that ‘the scope of conditionality enshrined in SAFE is a threat to the stability and development of the Polish Armed Forces.’
‘These are questions that continue to arise in public opinion,’ he noted.
The President was asked about Prime Minister Donald Tusk's request to use military aircraft to support the evacuation of Poles from the Middle East.
‘I am glad that the Prime Minister has finally given his consent to use Polish aircraft from the Polish Armed Forces to help Poles who are stranded in the Persian Gulf region,’ he said.
‘Minister Cenckiewicz informed me yesterday evening that such a letter was to be sent. I was actually waiting for such a letter, so there is little doubt that I will support the motion,’ stressed Karol Nawrocki.