The Polish opposition Conservatives (PiS) have called on the current US Republican administration to propose an attractive loan offer for the country to purchase US military equipment.
It also wants to be able to develop the Polish arms industry as an alternative to the European Union’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE).
“It would be good if our American partners expressing critical views about the SAFE loan were able to reflect on a positive offer that could also contribute to the discussion in Poland,” PiS MP former foreign minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk told the independent conservative broadcaster TV Republika yesterdy.
He was responding indirectly to remarks made by US diplomats Andrew Puzder, the US Ambassador to the European Union, and Matthew Whitaker, US Ambassador to NATO.
Both have gone on the record in Politico stating that the relationship between the US and the EU on defence was “more important than ever”.
By “restricting the participation of the American defence industry in European public procurement programmes threatens this partnership and weakens collective security”, they added.
They also claimed that the EU’s European Defence Industry Programme and SAFE “threaten intellectual property rights, restrict supply chains, and hinder transatlantic interoperability” by maintaining control over the design, configuration and subsequent modifications of defence systems.
Vel Sęk noted: “One of the criteria for selection of SAFE projects is a procurement requirement and it is unclear how it will be calculated; whether by value or by the share of components in a given piece of equipment.”
He said two-thirds of the funds spent under SAFE must be allocated to equipment produced within the EU, the European Economic Area and Ukraine.
“Perhaps even some vehicles or defence products manufactured in Poland will not be eligible for financing under this programme,” he added, “because we import many components from outside the EU.
“The doubts concern not only whether we will be able to purchase ready-made equipment from overseas, but whether we will be able to purchase equipment manufactured in Poland,” he argued.
Vel Sęk said. in his view: “It would be good if our American partners expressing critical voices were able to reflect on some kind of positive offer that could also contribute to the discussion in Poland.”
He added the US could present an offer enabling Poland to have more sources of financing for its own defence.
“The Americans are very good partners one can rely on. It is worth considering whether the United States could reflect on some kind of loan facility similar, but more flexible to the solutions proposed in the EU,” he said.
“Such solutions could be more attractive to Poland than the EU’s offer which restricted where the arms could come from and which made the loan conditional on Poland pursuing policies the EU approved of in areas other than defence,” he added.
The PiS has argued that the US is the chief guarantor of Polish security whereas the present centre-left government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk sees the EU as Poland’s chief ally, even with regard to defence.
Over the past year, the German defence industry, led by Rheinmetall, has signed a number of agreements in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary and Italy, preparing for the launch of the EU SAFE loan fund.
Poland has been allocated the highest limit of €43.7 billion within the SAFE programme in debt under the mechanism, with the Tusk government arguing that most of the funds will help to develop the Polish arms industry.
The government argues that the SAFE loan is attractively priced at rates unavailable on the open market (three per cent) whereas the PiS is concerned about the implications for relations with the US and the fact the European Commission could stop the money if a future government came into conflict with Brussels.
Legislation for Poland to take up the SAFE Loan is in the process of clearing parliament but will have to be approved by PiS allied-President Karol Nawrocki. He has said he has doubts about whether the proposal is in Poland’s interests and whether it undermines the country’s sovereignty.
According to professor Ryszard Piotrowski, a prominent constitutional legal expert, the SAFE programme is inconsistent with both the Polish Constitution and with EU treaties.
He argues that the Polish Constitution does not allow the government to enable foreign entities to have any control over Poland’s defence and that the EU’s treaties do not include any EU powers over defence in member states.
Since though, according to an opinion survey voters favour Poland taking up the EU loan by a margin of 2-1, Nawrocki would welcome any counter-proposal from the present US administration of which the Polish head of state is an ally.
It would give him the political ammunition to justify a veto of the government’s legislation on the SAFE loan.
