Poland on Friday became the first country to sign a loan agreement with the European Commission to finance the modernization of its army and arms industry, under which it will receive nearly 44 billion euros.
“This is a pivotal moment in the history of Poland and the European Union,” declared Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk upon signing the agreement.
“Poland will be safer in these difficult and high-risk times,” he added.
The most populous country on the eastern flank of NATO, Poland is the country in the alliance which devotes the most spending to its defense, in relative terms, with 4.8% of its gross domestic product (GDP).
The European Union’s Security Action For Europe (SAFE) program, created in 2025, makes 150 billion euros available in the form of preferential loans to finance joint projects in defense, the purchase of weapons or ammunition, as well as the development of critical infrastructure.
With this loan of 43.7 billion euros, Poland is the main beneficiary of the program, designed to strengthen the European defense industry in the face of the Russian threat and the risk of disengagement from the United States.
“It is also the day when Europe shows that it is ready to assume much greater responsibility for our security,” commented Donald Tusk.
AFP
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