Poland deadlocked over legislation for $50B EU defense funding

By Jo Harper

WARSAW (AA) — The standoff between Poland’s government and president over legislation implementing the EU’s SAFE defense financing mechanism widened Wednesday, amid signs that President Karol Nawrocki is no longer confident Senate amendments to the bill will survive a final vote in the lower house.

According to Polish news service Onet, signals from within the president’s circle suggest uncertainty over whether the lower house (Sejm) will reject the Senate’s changes — a scenario that would be politically significant, given that the amendments were introduced by senators from the ruling coalition itself.

The legislation is intended to enable Poland to draw more than €43 billion ($50.74 billion) in low-interest loans under the EU’s SAFE (Security Action for Europe) mechanism, earmarked for defense and security investment.

Government officials say direct negotiations with the Presidential Palace have effectively ground to a halt in recent days.

“All substantive arguments have been exhausted. At this point, everything will be decided by politics,” a senior government source told Onet, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The talks were aimed at securing the president’s support for the bill in its final form and avoiding the risk of a veto or further procedural delays. With discussions stalled, attention has shifted to parliamentary arithmetic and the possibility of fractures within the governing majority.

Under Poland’s legislative process, Senate amendments can be overturned by an absolute majority in the Sejm. However, sources close to the Presidential Palace have reportedly suggested that the outcome is no longer guaranteed — despite the government formally backing the changes.

Such a failure would expose internal tensions within the ruling coalition and place the president in a more assertive role, even without formally blocking the bill.

“The paradox here is that the president could emerge strengthened not by vetoing the law, but by letting the coalition struggle with its own majority,” one Warsaw-based political scientist told Onet.

The SAFE mechanism is central to Warsaw’s medium-term defense planning, as Poland continues to expand its armed forces and invest in air defense, artillery and military infrastructure amid heightened security concerns on NATO’s eastern flank.

Any delay in implementing the mechanism could push back procurement schedules and complicate budget planning for 2026–27, officials warned.

Nawrocki has publicly emphasized the need for “maximum effectiveness and transparency” in defense spending, without directly addressing the Senate amendments.