SAFE Act Passed in Sejm Amid Sharp Disputes Over Sovereignty and Budget

At the end of February 2026, the Sejm finally adopted the SAFE program act, which forms the foundation of a new strategy for financing national defense and state stability. This initiative, supported by Donald Tusk's government, involves securing significant funds for army modernization and supporting innovative enterprises. Prime Minister Tusk emphasized that these funds will go to specific companies, presenting a map of planned investments with an "astronomical sum." Finance Minister Andrzej Domański supported the government's narrative, pointing to a positive assessment from the Fitch agency as proof of the country's responsible economic policy. Despite the act being passed, the SAFE program raises strong constitutional controversies. Critics, including commentators from conservative media, raise arguments about the risk of excessive debt and the dependence of Polish policy on external financial institutions, which they call a path to losing sovereignty. Sharp formulations were used in parliamentary debates targeting the authors of the reform, and the opposition accused the ruling party of treating farmers as "electoral cannon fodder" while simultaneously shifting the burden of defense spending onto credit mechanisms. The defense financing system in Poland underwent a radical change after 2022, leading to the creation of the Armed Forces Support Fund outside the classic state budget.At the same time, the Polish political scene is paralyzed by the ongoing conflict surrounding the judiciary. The "Iustitia" association published a list of candidates for the National Council of the Judiciary, marking another stage in the process of reforming constitutional judicial bodies. The situation is complicated by personal friction between Minister Żurek and the judicial and legal community represented, among others, by attorney Lewandowski. Meanwhile, public opinion polls indicate growing public fatigue with the "war over the courts" – nearly 70% of Poles are in favor of reaching a broad compromise that would end years of institutional chaos. Relations between the government and the president remain extremely tense, particularly evident in speculation regarding Karol Nawrocki's potential veto of the SAFE Act. Although Minister Żurek suggests that the president will not be able to block alternative solutions, the so-called "Plan B," the situation remains dynamic. In the background of these events, concerns are emerging about relations with Washington, especially in the context of an uncertain future for cooperation with the Donald Trump administration, which some analysts assess as a risky reliance of foreign policy on a single ally. „Dialog społeczny w Polsce leży i kwiczy.” (Social dialogue in Poland is dead and squealing.) — Piotr Duda The National Council of the Judiciary in its current form has been a subject of dispute since 2017, which became the source of a long-term conflict with European institutions.