Defence Policy
Poland: President Expects at least 4% of GDP to be Allocated to Defence Expenditure
Photo. Jakub Borowski/Defence24
I hope that defence expenditure levels will be kept at the level of at least 4% of GDP, said President Andrzej Duda, speaking at the first meeting of the Parliament following the election. He added that he expects his bill on a reform of the armed forces command and control system to be approved.
“Today, undoubtedly, the most important matter that requires cooperation transcending the party differences is the national security. A full-scale war, right beyond our eastern border, makes us aware of that every single day”, Duda addressed the MPs.
He thanked them for unanimously endorsing the Act on Homeland Defence that „made it possible to boost the financing, and accelerate modernization and reinforcement of the Polish military”. „I do hope that this righteous direction would be maintained, defence procurement programmes continued, and defence expenditure level kept at least at a 4% of Gross Domestic Product”, Duda said, who also mentioned the necessity to continue the modernization programmes on 11th November.
“We need to quickly draw conclusions from what is happening in Ukraine, to be even more effective in taking care of our national, and continental security”, he added. This, as he said, is to be solved by a bill submitted to the parliament during the previous term of office, covering the activities of state authorities that shall be undertaken in the event of the emergence of an external threat to national security - and that bill is also designed to change the command system in the Polish Armed Forces. “I do hope that during the term of office that currently begins, this important Act will be approved, regardless of any inter-partial conflicts”, he said.
The bill prepared at the Presidential National Security Bureau (BBN), in collaboration with the Polish Ministry of Defence, assumes that commands of the individual branches of the Armed Forces would be reinstated, while the cyberspace defence branch, SOF component, and medical branch (to be established) would be subordinated directly to the Head of the MoD.
The Presidential bill and changes to the Command and Control of the Armed Forces system were discussed last week by Jacek Siewiera, head of the National Security Bureau, and his four predecessors. As Siewiera said, the President expects a collaborative effort with the new government, regardless of who forms the cabinet.
The Parliament appointed Marshall (Speaker) and Vice-Marshalls next Monday. According to the Constitution, and the Rules of Sejm, during the first meeting of the newly elected Parliament, PM Mateusz Morawiecki and his cabinet resigned. The new PM would be designated by the President in 14 days from the inauguration meeting. The designated PM presents a programme in front of the Parliament and requests a vote of confidence. That requires an absolute majority, with at least half of MPs present. Duda announced already that he will ask Morawiecki to form the new government. Head of the Polish Ministry of Defence Mariusz Błaszczak announced on Monday that he would be acting as both the Head of the MoD, as well as the head of the PiS Parliamentary Club. The KO, Trzecia Droga, and Nowa Lewica have 248 MPs in total, forming a coalition. PiS has 194 MPs.