SAFE Act Reaches President's Desk. Government Warns of Losses, Opposition Talks of Risks

The dispute over the implementing act for the SAFE programme intensified as the draft began heading for the desk of President Karol Nawrocki. Prime Minister Donald Tusk publicly linked the head of state's decision to a political dilemma, and media reports suggested the president is under strong pressure from his own political base. The government argues that without a signature, Poland will lose time and part of the financial and organisational benefits, while critics raise the risk of commitments and limitations. In right-wing media and commentary, the thesis returns that "milestones" have been sewn into SAFE, and some authors describe the programme as a potential "trap". „Na jego twarzy maluje się niemal rozpacz” (His face shows almost despair.) — Donald Tusk Since NATO's founding in 1949, European security has been based primarily on American guarantees and interoperability among alliance states. After 2014, with the growing threat from the east, the EU has gradually developed its own instruments for supporting industry and financing defence to shorten procurement times and strengthen production. 500 tys. — target army size Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz argued that SAFE should correspond to the "real needs of the army," and in the debate, the government's postulate of building a "half-million-strong army" and deterrence capabilities returned. Finance Minister Andrzej Domański, speaking in Brussels, signalled an expectation that the president would support solutions strengthening defence, while Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski countered the allegation that SAFE investments serve Berlin. Meanwhile, some Polish defence companies declared support for SAFE, emphasising a common interest in utilising the funding window. Concurrently, in the PiS camp, media described disciplinary disputes after statements about SAFE, including speculation about consequences for Michał Dworczyk. In a separate thread, the president was said to have approached German authorities on matters linking reparations and the current SAFE debate, which shifts the dispute also to the level of Polish-German relations. „Armia 500, armia półmilionowa to jest cel strategiczny” (An army of 500, a half-million-strong army is a strategic goal.) — Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz On the domestic institutional front, the General Assembly of Supreme Court Judges selected six candidates for the First President of the Supreme Court. According to the procedure, after the planned vote on February 27, the list will be reduced to five names, and only then will it go to the president, enabling him to make the final personnel decision. Some editorial boards assess that the greatest chances lie with individuals described as neo-judges, while others point to the conflict over the possibility of challenging judges' status, which is to be decided by the full bench of the Supreme Court. In the background, publications also appeared about disputes surrounding the Constitutional Tribunal and ideas for bypassing the president's role in filling key positions.