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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Poland says the European Commission has approved its plans to use 26 billion zloty (€6.1 billion) of EU post-pandemic recovery funds for security and defence purposes.
Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz, the minister for funds and regional policy, noted that Poland is the “first, and so far only,” member state to use the EU’s so-called Recovery and Resilience Facility to fund security and defence. This will help fend off the “aggressive imperial Russia at our borders”, she said.
Earlier on Friday, one of her deputy ministers, Jan Szyszko, had announced that negotiations with the European Commission had been completed, with Brussels giving permission for Poland to establish a new Security and Defence Fund.
Pierwsi i na razie jedyni w 🇪🇺stworzyliśmy w ramach KPO Fundusz na inwestycje w obronność i bezpieczeństwo – 25 mld. To efekt odważnej wizji i skutecznych negocjacji. Mamy agresywną Imperialną Rosję u granic. Potrzebujemy prezydenta, który potrafi w sojusze i skuteczne… https://t.co/LdPAKW5pN5
— Katarzyna Pełczyńska (@Kpelczynska) May 23, 2025
Szyszko noted that the fund would be used for four main purposes: constructing civilian protection infrastructure (such as shelters); expanding Poland’s steel and arms industries; improving dual-use infrastructure (such as roads and airports); and bolstering cybersecurity.
The Polish government first announced the plans in March, but noted that it still needed the EU’s permission. That has now been granted, according to the ministry, with final formal approval of its revised spending plans expected from the European Council on 20 June.
The fund, which is expected to launch in the third quarter of 2025, will be available to local authorities as well as state-owned and private companies in the form of preferential, low-interest loans or partially redeemable capital investments, reports the Polish Press Agency (PAP).
Speaking last week, Szyszko said that the funds would “largely go to the local authorities and strengthen the security of the inhabitants of Poland as a whole” and would help create “good new jobs in small towns”.
Poland has applied for an "escape clause" to exempt increased defence spending from the EU's budget rules.
It is the third member state to take advantage of the newly introduced measure, alongside Germany and Greece https://t.co/YAuai8fcc6
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) April 30, 2025
The money comes from Poland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the name given to the EU-funded scheme to help member states rebuild their economies after the Covid pandemic.
Initially, Poland’s access to the recovery fund was blocked due to the EU’s concerns over the rule of law under the former conservative Law and Justice (PiS) government. However, they were unblocked last year after a more liberal coalition led by Donald Tusk came to power.
Under both the PiS administration and Tusk’s coalition, Poland has been rapidly ramping up defence spending, which this year will reach 4.7% of GDP, by far the highest relative figure in NATO.
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Main image credit: KPRM/Flickr (under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.
