Poland names Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka as state resilience plenipotentiary, winds down SAFE role

Background

Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, a politician from the Polish People's Party (PSL), has held several senior roles. She served as head of the advisory team for PSL leader Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, as his election campaign chief in 2020, and as the party's international secretary from 2019 to 2025. Between 2024 and 2025 she was undersecretary of state for European affairs at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister. In 2025 she became the government plenipotentiary for the SAFE instrument, an EU-level programme proposed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk to finance defence modernisation. On 19 June 2026 she was appointed deputy minister of national defence, responsible for army modernisation, equipment procurement, and securing funds.

New appointment and expanded role

During Tuesday's cabinet meeting, the Council of Ministers adopted a regulation establishing the plenipotentiary for strengthening state resilience and simultaneously abolished the SAFE plenipotentiary role. Government spokesman Adam Szłapka announced the move, stating that Sobkowiak-Czarnecka "delivers all projects perfectly" and that the change reflects the programme moving to a new phase.

“The new government plenipotentiary for strengthening state resilience will be Minister Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, who ceases to serve as plenipotentiary for implementing the SAFE instrument. This is linked to the transition to the next stage.”

Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said her new responsibilities include ensuring all contracts signed under SAFE are executed on time by the Polish defence industry and negotiating joint purchases with foreign partners. She stressed the goal of promoting Polish firms as exporters on the arms market, noting that her predecessors spent only 20% of the military procurement budget domestically, while the current defence minister now directs half of the spending to Polish industry.

“This is a continuation of what I was doing as SAFE plenipotentiary — first, making sure all ordered projects and signed contracts under the SAFE mechanism are delivered on time by the Polish defence industry.”

Wider mandate

The formal tasks of the new plenipotentiary include coordinating government administration bodies in strengthening state resilience, notably through information, communication, and promotional activities, including countering disinformation and promoting defence education among the public.

Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz had earlier praised Sobkowiak-Czarnecka's performance during the Polish presidency of the EU Council, where the SAFE programme originated. He described her new role as a "flywheel for the Polish economy" focusing on the arms industry, its promotion, and the export of Polish equipment.