Nawrocki said on Thursday he had decided to veto the law needed to implement SAFE, an EU instrument offering low-interest loans to quickly boost member states’ defense capabilities.
The government lacks enough votes in parliament to override the veto.
The vetoed law would have created a Financial Security Enhancement Instrument managed by state development bank BGK, through which Poland could draw on SAFE funds.
Poland’s application for EUR 43.7 billion was approved by EU institutions, making it the program’s largest beneficiary.
The government said 89 percent of the money would go to Polish arms companies.
After the veto, the Politico news service reported that Poland was the only country in which SAFE has become a political issue, saying that the deadlock would inevitably sharpen the dispute between Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Nawrocki over the country’s political orientation.
'National betrayal'
The outlet noted that leading figures in the ruling coalition sharply criticized Nawrocki’s decision, calling it, among other things, “national betrayal”.
Politico added that the veto also ran against the position of the military, whose top commanders supported using the EU program.
The Bloomberg news agency said the veto would likely delay military spending and could deprive some defense projects of financing, even though Tusk vowed no SAFE money would be lost.
“It will be more difficult, but we will do it; the president’s veto of the law implementing the SAFE program will not stop us,” Tusk said on Friday before an impromptu Cabinet meeting, announcing the government would adopt a resolution to carry out a program called Polska Zbrojna (Arming Poland).
Bloomberg said Nawrocki and his advisers were skeptical of SAFE because it prioritizes procurement within the EU and, in their view, could harm Poland’s relations with the United States.
Nawrocki said on Thursday the program was a “huge foreign loan” that would have to be repaid over 45 years and could cost up to PLN 180 billion (EUR 42 billion) in interest.
The agency said the veto would further strain relations between Nawrocki, an ally of US President Donald Trump, and Tusk’s pro-European government.
France's Le Figaro newspaper called the move “another blow to European defense,” saying Nawrocki and his Law and Justice (PiS) camp viewed SAFE as a “Trojan horse” allowing the EU - and Germany in particular - to exert pressure on Warsaw.
The newspaper cited commentator Jarosław Kuisz as saying that ahead of the 2027 parliamentary election, the president could not allow the government to reap political benefits from such a major investment program.
“The president wants to undermine the prime minister’s authority as much as possible,” Kuisz said.
Nawrocki and central bank governor Adam Glapiński have proposed an alternative “Polish SAFE 0%” initiative based on gains from rising gold valuations to fund defense.
A presidential bill on that plan has been submitted to parliament, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP, Polish Radio
Click on the audio player above for a report by Michał Owczarek.