Domański: We count on the financing of the EIB, among others, in the field of defence and security

The Polish government is counting on increasing the scope and scale of cooperation with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and counts in particular on support in financing in the field of defence and security, said the Minister of Finance Andrzej Domański.

"The key challenges, of course, are an energy transformation, an improvement in the competitiveness of the Polish economy, which we will want a lot about which we will also want a lot in the context of the Polish Presidency, and of course support for the defense industry in the light of the war in Ukraine and the geopolitical situation," said Domański during a press conference on the results of the EIB.

“We are counting on a bank offering defence and security financing. There is currently a discussion in the European Union about increasing the role of the bank in response to the real needs of its members. Last week, the leaders decided that the European Investment Bank should align its policies with the defence sector. In the context of the war in Ukraine, I wanted to appreciate the EIB’s actions and thank the President [Teresy] Czerwińska for his personal commitment,” he added.

He pointed out that the Polish government sees the possibility of increasing the scope and scale of cooperation with the EIB. The bank’s support for local governments will also be crucial.

At the beginning of March, the European Commission presented the first-ever European Defence Industry Strategy at EU level and proposed a set of new actions to support the competitiveness and readiness of the defence industry. The strategy sets out a set of actions to include the inclusion of a culture of defence preparedness in all policy areas, in particular by calling for a review of the European Investment Bank’s credit policy review this year.

The European Investment Bank is an institution of the European Union granting long-term loans owned by its Member States.