By Karin Strohecker LONDON, March 24 (Reuters) - Poland is prioritising a European Union defence-funding programme, but is also part of technical working groups exploring other financing mechanisms,
Poland to Prioritise EU Defence Funding, Engage in Technical Working Groups
Poland's Defence Funding Strategy within the European Union
By Karin Strohecker
Focus on the SAFE Programme
LONDON, March 24 (Reuters) - Poland is prioritising a European Union defence-funding programme, but is also part of technical working groups exploring other financing mechanisms, Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski said on Tuesday.
Domanski said the EU's Security Action for Europe (SAFE) scheme provides cheap financing and is essential to Poland's security in the face of the threat from Russia.
Immediate Access to EU Funds
"Right now, we are focused on the SAFE programme - it's our priority," Domanski said on the sidelines of a visit to London. "It's close to 44 billion euros available for us immediately."
Engagement in Other Defence-Financing Efforts
Asked about other defence-financing efforts such as a push by Britain, Finland and the Netherlands to team up on defence financing and procurement, Domanski said Poland was engaged in working groups on a technical level.
"We are also participating in the discussions," he said.
Global Context of Defence Financing
Countries are scrambling to ramp up defence financing and procurement as security threats and conflicts intensify worldwide, with Russia's war in Ukraine in its fourth year and the conflict in the Middle East showing few signs of abating.
Competing Initiatives: Multilateral Defence Mechanism and DSRB
The UK-Finland-Netherlands push, referred to by Domanski as the Multilateral Defence Mechanism, is one of several competing initiatives aimed at channelling more private cash into rearming nations.
Canada has been leading a recent push for a new multilateral defence bank - the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank, or DSRB - as part of Prime Minister Mark Carney's effort to bolster co-operation between NATO members and other allies.
"Originally comparing those two, I find this MDM much more interesting," said Domanski, declining to elaborate.
(Reporting by Karin Strohecker. Editing by Mark Potter)
