Poland will be the biggest beneficiary of the EU’s SAFE (Security Action for Europe) defence loan programme – declared Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, on Sunday at a joint press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on the Polish-Belarusian border.
The press conference was held near the village of Ozierany Male, next to the steel fence erected on the Belarusian border.
Ursula von der Leyen stressed that the European Union“takes the threat coming from the East seriously”. She announced that member states directly bordering Russia and Belarus will receive additional resources.
The Commission President listed the sources that Brussels is mobilising for the development of defence and the arms industry. Among other things, she said that the SAFE programme, which makes possible investments worth 150 billion euros for EU member states, has been accelerated. She confirmed that 19 countries wish to benefit from the programme, and that Poland “will be the biggest beneficiary” – she added.
She further stated that the resources of SAFE can be used for joint investments strengthening the industrial base of EU countries, but they can also be invested in Ukraine’s industrial base, since for the EU “it is key that Ukraine is strong and the Union’s neighbourhood remains strong and protected”.
Donald Tusk declared that the latest weeks of the war in Ukraine “show very clearly” that no “gentle game” with Russian President Vladimir Putin and “aggressive Russia” leads to success or guarantees the security of European countries.
Europe and NATO must today be very tough, determined and solidary in the face of the latest version of the evil empire – Donald Tusk stressed. He said that the purpose of the Commission President’s visit to Poland was, among other things, to find strong arguments to “convince everyone in Europe” of the need to protect and finance the EU’s eastern border. He confirmed that Poland will allocate 200 billion zlotys (18.6 thousand billion forints) to defence next year.
Warsaw expects a “very serious” share from European programmes aimed at strengthening security, including resources from SAFE. “We are applying for tens of billions of euros, and we say this without complexes,” the prime minister stated.
Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz announced at the end of July that Poland had submitted a bid for 45 billion euros under the SAFE programme.
Ursula von der Leyen began her current tour on Friday, during which she is visiting the seven states neighbouring Russia and Belarus, including Poland.
