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Poland's PM demands details on rival defence funding plan

09.03.2026 22:00
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says he will press for concrete information at Tuesday's meeting with President Karol Nawrocki and central bank governor Adam Glapiński over their proposed alternative to the EU's defence funding scheme.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaking at a press conference in Warsaw on Monday, March  9, 2026.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaking at a press conference in Warsaw on Monday, March 9, 2026.Photo: PAP/Marcin Obara

The proposal, dubbed "Polish SAFE 0%," was announced last Wednesday as an alternative to the EU's SAFE programme, under which Poland stands to receive around EUR 43.7 billion in low-interest loans for defence investment.

Nawrocki and Glapiński say their plan would guarantee PLN 185 billion (EUR 43.2 billion) without the conditions attached to EU funding.

Tusk said he was still waiting for "any document, any concrete, honest information" about the scheme, warning he would "immediately inform the public" about what transpires at the meeting.

"There will be no room for any suspicious manoeuvres on this matter," he said.

'Markets are worried'

The prime minister also voiced concern that vague public statements about the plan had already unsettled financial markets.

"We are talking about tens of billions, about gold, about reserves – markets are worried," he said.

Tusk and his government have been urging the president to sign the law implementing the EU's SAFE programme before a March 20 deadline, citing growing instability in the Middle East, rising weapons costs and reduced American focus on European security.

The central bank governor has insisted no reserves, including gold, would be touched, and that the bank's involvement would remain within legal limits.

(ał/gs)

Source: PAP