Opposition to the EU’s SAFE defence programme effectively supports the interests of foreign arms suppliers and may deepen Poland’s dependence on military equipment purchased outside Europe, argues Marta Wcisło, Member of the European Parliament. According to her, blocking the mechanism amounts to lobbying for foreign powers, while funds from the programme should instead be used for projects such as building civil shelters in eastern Poland and strengthening the domestic defence industry.
In recent years, European countries have significantly increased defence spending. However, a large share of new arms contracts has gone to manufacturers outside the European Union. Data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) show that, after Ukraine, Poland and the United Kingdom were the largest arms importers in Europe over the past five years. Nearly half of the weapons transferred to European countries came from the United States (48%), followed by Germany (7.1%) and France (6.2%).
Military equipment purchases often include technical support systems, software, and access to operational data, which in practice creates long-term technological dependence on foreign suppliers.
“Do we want to remain dependent on other powers? Do we really want to expose the safety of our citizens to such risks for the sake of political interests? I ask who will take responsibility if a threat emerges affecting the security of citizens in eastern Poland. Who will be responsible if supply chains are cut and we suddenly have no ammunition for equipment purchased in Korea or the United States? Anyone opposing the SAFE programme today is lobbying for other countries and other suppliers,” Wcisło said in an interview with the Newseria news agency. The politician represents the Civic Coalition in the European Parliament and serves on the Parliament’s Committee on Security and Defence.
Concerns Over Large Arms Contracts Outside Europe
In recent years Poland has signed some of the largest arms contracts in Europe with South Korea’s defence industry, including purchases of K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers, and Chunmoo rocket systems. Part of these acquisitions is financed through export credits provided by financial institutions linked to the South Korean government.
“Tanks manufactured in Korea by Korean workers, who are paid there, do not create added value for our economy — they are simply a cost. It is a massive debt that must be repaid and serviced, financed by loans that are larger and more expensive than European loans, and this is absolutely not beneficial for the Polish economy,” the MEP said.
Analyses by the European Central Bank indicate that increasing defence spending by 1% of GDP could raise GDP in the short term by 0.4–1.1%, depending on the structure of spending and the share of domestic production.
Within the EU, one of the objectives of the SAFE instrument is to strengthen the European defence industry and increase the participation of EU-based companies in military equipment production. It also aims to shorten defence supply chains, partly through a requirement that projects financed under the programme include at least 65% components produced in Europe.
Economic Opportunities for Poland
“Investing PLN 180 billion from SAFE into the Polish economy would create new jobs, new economic impulses, additional tax revenues and new technologies. It would represent a major boost for our economy and for local governments. I see no rational justification for blocking the largest security programme in the history of the European Union, especially when other countries are competing fiercely for these funds,” Wcisło said.
Poland already has a domestic defence industry, concentrated in companies belonging to the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) and in specialised manufacturers producing missile systems, ammunition and radar technologies. In recent years, some products from Poland’s defence sector have gained international recognition, particularly after being used by Ukrainian armed forces following Russia’s invasion in 2022.
“Funds from the SAFE programme could become a key instrument enabling Poland’s defence industry to become a major military power in Europe and globally. Products such as the Piorun missile, which is currently produced manually in four shifts, could become a major export success in Europe and worldwide. This is precisely why investment and funding are needed — to expand and modernise our defence industry,” the MEP explained.
She emphasized that investment in domestic defence manufacturing capacity is important not only for national security but also for regional economic development, as expanding defence production facilities generates new jobs and orders for companies cooperating with the defence sector.
“In the long term — in terms of financing, technology and offset agreements — everything produced on Polish soil, in Polish companies and by Polish workers represents the greatest added value for the Polish economy,” Wcisło said.
Shelters and Civil Protection
Under the SAFE programme, funding was also expected to support the construction of civil shelters, widely regarded as one of the most effective forms of collective protection for civilians against both conventional attacks and the effects of weapons of mass destruction, according to a report by Poland’s Supreme Audit Office (NIK) on the civil protection system.
At present, however, such infrastructure in Poland remains limited. According to NIK findings, fewer than 4% of the country’s residents have access to places in shelters or protected facilities.
In 2025, the State Fire Service completed a nationwide inventory of protective structures. Based on this data, authorities launched a tool called “Where to Shelter,” a map showing potential shelter locations such as basements, underground passages and underground garages. The results of the inventory are intended to support planning for new investments under the Civil Protection and Civil Defence Programme.
“In eastern Poland we have very few such facilities, which means that a certain level of responsibility is being shifted onto residents and local governments. We cannot build shelters on our own — we need managed shelters similar to those in Finland. The Finnish president once said that Helsinki is like Swiss cheese because of its network of shelters. In Poland we simply do not have such infrastructure. SAFE is about deterrence, defence and security,” the Civic Coalition MEP said.
Finland as an Example
Finland has long developed a civil protection system based on a dense network of civil shelters. According to Finnish authorities, the country has more than 50,000 shelters capable of accommodating nearly the entire population. In many cities, underground parking facilities, tunnels and metro stations are designed so that they can quickly be converted into shelters during emergencies.
The development of security infrastructure and the defence industry is one of the reasons why European countries are competing for access to funding from programmes such as SAFE.
“If someone says today that these funds are unnecessary, they should look citizens in the eye and say: ‘You will not be protected because I oppose SAFE funding.’ Every country in Europe is now competing for SAFE and even discussing a potential SAFE 2 programme. Meanwhile Poland — a border state facing two authoritarian regimes beyond its eastern frontier — criticises the programme. The opposition wants to place the security of Poles in the hands of the United States, which could at any moment cut off access codes to military equipment or satellites,” Marta Wcisło concluded.
