Poland’s SAFE Act: Police Support & NBP Funding Options

A modified version of President Karol Nawrocki’s “SAFE 0 proc.” plan is expected to be presented to the Sejm on Wednesday, according to Vice Premier and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.

Z uwagi na to, że projekt zawiera regulacje przewidujące dodatkowe środki finansowe również dla służb podległych MSWiA, w tym Policji, NSZZ Policjantów deklaruje jego poparcie – brzmi fragment oświadczenia Zarządu Głównego NSZZ Policjantów.

In a statement, the NSZZ Policjantów, a Polish police union, announced its support for the revised legislation, citing provisions for additional funding for law enforcement agencies, including the police. The union’s chairman believes backing the initiative could expedite the legislative process, provided that political disagreements are set aside and national interests are prioritized.

The union emphasized that throughout public debate surrounding the SAFE plan, no one questioned the urgent need for financial support for the military or the police.

“Based on the expectations of the police community and public opinion, NSZZ Policjantów intends to accept action to develop a project acceptable to both the Government and the President,” the union stated.

President Karol Nawrocki previously vetoed the SAFE program, which would have allocated 7.1 billion złoty (approximately $1.75 billion USD) to various services under the Ministry of Interior and Administration, with 3.3 billion złoty ($812 million USD) earmarked for police projects.

Vice Premier and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced on Friday that the Polish People’s Party (PSL) would submit a bill to the Sejm presenting a “corrected version” of the President’s proposal. The plan aims to secure an additional 185 billion złoty ($45.5 billion USD) for national defense from National Bank of Poland (NBP) profits.

Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that if the National Bank of Poland demonstrates profits in the near future, he would like those funds to be allocated to the state budget and used for security. He similarly expressed hope that declarations from NBP President Adam Glapiński regarding profits would prove credible.

President Nawrocki vetoed the law implementing the SAFE mechanism on March 12. The President then submitted his own bill to the Sejm outlining a Polish SAFE 0 proc. Plan. In response to the veto, the Council of Ministers adopted a resolution regarding the Polish Armaments Program.

President Nawrocki and NBP President Adam Glapiński presented an alternative to the EU SAFE mechanism earlier this month. The NBP President proposed updating the valuation of gold held by the Polish central bank through “active reserve management,” which could generate substantial profits. According to Glapiński, the unrealized gains from the increase in the value of gold amount to 197 billion złoty. The NBP could pay out this amount as profit over several years, but the NBP President emphasized that the funds should be used exclusively for defense.

The law implementing the EU’s SAFE mechanism proposed the creation of a Financial Instrument for Increased Security, managed by the Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK), through which the government could access funds from SAFE – an EU instrument offering low-interest loans to rapidly increase the defense capabilities of EU member states. According to government declarations, 89 percent of these funds would go to Polish defense companies, with the army, police, and Border Guard also receiving support.

Poland’s application submitted to the program totaled 43.7 billion euros and received approval from EU institutions. Poland was identified as the largest beneficiary of the program, which is worth a total of 150 billion euros.