President Karol Nawrocki has convened a meeting of the National Security Council (RBN) for Tuesday, November 3, at 3:00 p.m. As the head of the National Security Bureau (BBN), Bartosz Grodecki, announced, the council will discuss, among other things, the construction of a permanent base for American troops in Poland.
Grodecki announced the date on Tuesday, October 27, in the evening, on social media, as Polsat News and WP reported. According to his statement, the meeting will be closed to the public.
What is on the agenda
The BBN chief said that the proceedings will cover “current national security issues” as well as the matter of building a permanent base for American troops in Poland. The announcement does not provide details on the location, timeline or scope of the project. It is also unclear which other topics fall under “current issues.”
What the National Security Council is
Under Article 135 of the Constitution, the National Security Council is an advisory body to the president on matters of the state’s internal and external security. It is advisory in nature: it does not make binding decisions, and its meetings are chaired by the president. The president determines the council’s composition; it typically includes representatives of the state’s key bodies, including the government and parliament. An earlier example of the president convening a government forum was described in our article on the Cabinet Council convened by Nawrocki.
What it means
Because the meeting is closed, the public will probably learn only what the Chancellery of the President or the BBN shares after it ends. The council itself does not decide on the base’s location or financing; those are matters for the government and talks with the US administration. For readers in Poland, nothing changes for now; the November 3 date marks the point at which the president will hear the council members’ opinions on the matter.
