Poland: Poland signs €43.7B EU defense loan deal under SAFE rearmament scheme.

SHOTLIST: WARSAW, POLAND (MAY 8, 2026) 1. VARIOUS OF OFFICIALS WAITING FOR SIGNING CEREMONY FOR LOAN AGREEMENT UNDER EU'S SAFE PROGRAM IN WARSAW 2. VARIOUS OF SIGNING CEREMONY 3. POLISH PRIME MINISTER DONALD TUSK DELIVERING SPEECH 4. POLISH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND DEFENCE MINISTER WLADYSLAW KOSINIAK-KAMYSZ DELIVERING SPEECH 5. EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER FOR DEFENSE AND SPACE ANDRIUS KUBILIUS DELIVERING SPEECH WARSAW, POLAND - MAY 8: Poland signed a €43.7 billion defense loan agreement under the European Union’s SAFE (Security Action for Europe) joint defense financing program in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday, May 8. According to Polish public broadcaster TVP World, the agreement was signed by Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz and Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski during an official ceremony attended by EU Commissioners Piotr Serafin and Andrius Kubilius. Poland became the first of the program’s 19 participating countries to sign the agreement and received the largest allocation under the SAFE mechanism. The funds are expected to support Poland’s defense industry, including border security projects, air defense and anti-drone systems, artillery systems, armored vehicles and ammunition production. SAFE entered into force on May 29, 2025, as part of the European Union’s “defense readiness by 2030” strategy shaped by the war in Ukraine, perceived threats from Russia and pressure from the Donald Trump administration. Under the mechanism, EU member states and participating countries can jointly procure defense products through loans of up to €150 billion.