Polish President Vetoes EU SAFE Defence Funding Bill (visegradinsight.eu)

• President vetoes SAFE bill on 12 March 2026
• Delays €43.7 billion low-interest defence financing
• Counter-proposal 'Polish SAFE 0%' considered unworkable
• Romania and Hungary advance with SAFE
• Risk of Russian exploitation of political confusion

"President Karol Nawrocki vetoed the SAFE defence-funding bill on 12 March 2026, delaying Poland's access to €43.7 billion in low-interest financing for defence modernisation. His counter-proposal of a 'Polish SAFE 0%' scheme is seen as unviable. The move undermines Poland's defence consensus and raises uncertainty across Central and Eastern Europe, with other countries like Romania and Hungary advancing their SAFE applications. Russia may exploit the political confusion."