Poland is interested in additional funds from the European SAFE mechanism for defense investments that will not be used by other member states, Deputy Minister of National Defense Pawel Zalewski said, quoted by Reuters, BTA reports.
Warsaw has already signed a loan agreement under the SAFE initiative, through which it has secured 43.7 billion euros to strengthen its armed forces. The funds are part of the European Union's efforts to strengthen the defense capabilities of member states against the backdrop of growing geopolitical risks.
According to Zalewski, there is still an unused financial reserve in the mechanism, which Poland is interested in.
„A decisive phase in negotiations with the European Commission is ahead. "We will present our projects that we would like to include in this mechanism," the deputy minister told Polish Radio.
The additional funding could be directed towards the acquisition of military transport aircraft and aerial refueling aircraft, Zalewski said.
Warsaw's interest in the additional funds is part of a large-scale program to modernize the Polish armed forces. Poland is among the EU countries that are significantly increasing their defense spending amid the changed security environment in Europe.