President Karol Nawrocki and President of the National Bank of Poland Adam Glapinski presented on Wednesday, 4 March 2026 a Polish alternative to the EU SAFE programme. The new concept is called "Polish SAFE 0 percent." and assumes to finance the upgrade of the Armed Forces amount PLN 185 billion in the next five years, completely without borrowing EU loans and without any interest.

The funds would mainly come from three national sources: the profits generated by the NBP in the last 30 months, gold reserves and effective investments and assets managed by the central bank.

President of Poland @NawrockiKn: We met today with the President of NBP to find a favourable, sovereign, safe, good and effective alternative to SAFE. After weeks of expert meetings at the NRP, but also after the actions of the President of Glapiński, there was our meeting, at which... pic.twitter.com/371swHfYrB
— President of the Republic of Poland (@president) March 4, 2026

Alternative to EU loans

The EU Security Action for Europe (SAFE) is an instrument worth EUR 150 billion, almost Poland €44 billion (equivalent to approximately PLN 185 billion) in the form of a low-interest loan. The Sejm has already passed a bill implementing this mechanism, but the bill is waiting for the signature of the President, who has been signaling serious doubts for weeks.

Karol Nawrocki during a joint conference with Adam Glapinski stressed the advantage of the Polish solution:

"After today's meeting with Professor Glapinski, after the analysis of specialists, I have no doubt that the Polish SAFE of 0% is better for the Polish armed forces than the European SAFE with those burdens we discuss in the Polish public opinion."

The President announced that he would still send an official invitation to a working meeting to Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz today.

The SAFE programme gives the fastest and concrete means to modernise the Polish army, which is why the military, the arms industry and all those who are at heart in strengthening the force of our army are appealing and counting on the signing of the law by @President.

But if there's another...
— Władysław Kosiniak-Kamish (@KosiniakKamish) March 4, 2026

🇵🇱🇪🇺
❗️ President @NawrockiKntogether with the President @nbppl Adam Glapinski presented a Polish alternative to the EU SAFE programme – so-called "Polish SAFE 0 percent".

The proposal involves financing arms of PLN 185 billion in the next 5 years without enlisting EU... pic.twitter.com/xqXyVGtJLY
— WarNewsPL (@WarNewsPL1) March 4, 2026

What's next on defense funding?

"Polish SAFE 0%" is intended to ensure full sovereignty – zero interest, no currency risk and more flexibility in selecting equipment suppliers (not only European). The Tusk Government has so far strongly promoted the EU programme, highlighting the benefits for the Polish arms industry and rapid access to resources.

The President's proposal opens a new stage in the dispute. Supporters praise the lack of new debt and the use of national resources. Critics pay attention to the potential risks associated with NBP reserves and gold – they fear the impact on the stability of gold and monetary policy.

President Glapiński assured the central bank's readiness to cooperate. Technical details and implementation timetable are to be clarified in the coming days.

The President's decision on the EU SAFE Act may be made in the coming weeks and will be crucial for the way the Polish army is financed from 2026 to 2030.

Source: President.pl