The Polish government is rushing to sign dozens of military manufacturing contracts before a Sunday deadline, as Warsaw seeks to funnel most of its €43.7bn EU defence loans to the domestic arms industry.
Poland is the largest beneficiary of the bloc’s €150bn rearmament fund set up in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine. But a spat between Eurosceptic President Karol Nawrocki and pro-EU Prime Minister Donald Tusk has delayed allocation of the funds.
Under the EU’s so-called Safe programme, procurement deals with a single domestic manufacturer have to be locked in by May 30, with the remainder of the money being allocated to cross-border initiatives.