Stopped by Veto: Poland’s President Blocks Billions in EU Defense Funding

 

“Poland’s President refuses to accept billions in EU defense funding.

 

Poland was set to benefit the most from the EU defense fund. However, Tusk’s political rival has blocked the legislation. His supporters warn against German influence.

 

Poland’s President, Karol Nawrocki, has vetoed a bill intended to secure billions for his country from an EU defense program. ‘Poland’s security must not depend on foreign decisions,’ Nawrocki stated, explaining his move. ‘Only a nation capable of looking after its own security remains truly free.’

 

Under its ‘SAFE’ program, the EU is making 150 billion euros in low-interest loans available to enhance the defense capabilities of its member states. With a projected share of just under 44 billion euros, Poland was expected to be the program’s largest beneficiary. In late February, Parliament—voting along party lines with the center-left coalition led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk—had approved the legislation required to implement the EU program. At the time, Tusk emphasized that the government intended to channel more than 80 percent of the funds into contracts for Polish defense manufacturers, noting that 12,000 domestic firms would stand to benefit.

 

However, the Euroskeptic Nawrocki had expressed skepticism from the very beginning. ‘The President has squandered an opportunity to act like a patriot,’ Tusk commented on X following the veto. He has convened an extraordinary cabinet meeting for Friday morning.

 

Poland’s Right: ‘We Won’t Bow to the German Boot’

 

This dispute is emblematic of the political standoff that has prevailed in Warsaw since Nawrocki’s election in 2025. Since then, this key EU and NATO member state has ceased to speak with one voice on strategic matters. This is because the President—who is backed by the right-wing conservative opposition party, PiS—and Prime Minister Tusk hail from rival political camps. For weeks, the powerful PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński has been campaigning against the "Safe" program and propagating an anti-German narrative. According to this narrative, the EU armaments program is part of a plan to integrate the EU more closely under German dominance. German defense contractors, Kaczyński claimed, would be the primary beneficiaries. "We are being offered a Poland under the German boot—and we reject this German boot."

 

Nawrocki Presents Alternative Program

 

In order to reject the EU loans while still investing in Poland’s rearmament, Nawrocki recently unveiled an alternative plan—dubbed "Safe 0 Percent"—together with National Bank Governor Adam Glapiński. The plan proposes financing an armaments program of roughly equivalent scale, interest-free, using the National Bank’s foreign currency and gold reserves. The details remain vague, and financial experts have warned of the associated risks.

 

"This project means a strong army without generational debt," Nawrocki declared in his speech. He appealed to all political forces to support the plan. However, to implement it, he requires the approval of the Tusk government—and Tusk has already made it clear that he will not grant it.

 

The "Safe" loan program, scheduled for 2025, is designed to provide EU member states with increased funding for defense procurement in the face of Russian aggression. According to the Ministry of Defense’s plans, Poland intends to use these funds to purchase defensive systems against drones and missiles, as well as helicopters and patrol boats.

 

Germany, however, is not utilizing the EU loans; instead, it is relying on its own domestic resources."

 

Lithuania is actively participating in the EU's Security Action for Europe (SAFE) program. As of January 2026, the European Commission approved approximately €6.375 billion in SAFE funding for Lithuania to strengthen its national defense, specifically to equip its Land Force Division by 2030.