Poland plans to pressure the European Commission to gain access to unspent funds from the EU’s SAFE defense loan program, Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski said today, according to Polish Radio.
Meanwhile, Warsaw is preparing a proposal for Washington regarding the establishment of a permanent U.S. military base in Poland.
The SAFE program offers €150 billion in low-interest loans, primarily for European-made military equipment.
Poland has been allocated €43.7 billion from this program to finance projects including the Eastern Shield border defense program, air and drone defense, artillery, and upgrades to military transport.
Warsaw has pledged that 89 percent of the funds will be directed to the Polish industry.
Zalewski told the public broadcaster Polish Radio 24 that uneven use of the SAFE program by EU member states has left funds available to countries able to act quickly.
“Not all countries are equally efficient in spending these funds, and it has turned out that there are certain unused resources,” Zalewski said. He added that securing a share of these funds would require additional negotiations with the Commission, with Warsaw submitting additional projects for approval.
Regarding the future U.S. base, Zalewski said that Poland intends to present all the details of the proposal to its American counterparts next month as talks between Warsaw and Washington continue.
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