Forum Ekonomiczne

„Rzeczpospolita” na Forum Ekonomicznym w Karpaczu 2024

Poland must gradually build resilience

The change in the situation across our eastern border means that we need a different approach to defence spending and to how we think about the country.

Publikacja: 09.09.2024 04:28

Panellists stressed the importance of action for the future of Poland

Panellists stressed the importance of action for the future of Poland

Foto: Maciej Zygmunt

The geopolitical situation after Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Its significance for stability and security in our part of Europe. The need to increase military spending. These issues received most of the attention at the panel ‘Peace and quiet is over. Poland at war' during the 33rd Economic Forum in Karpacz.

The panel, chaired by Bogumiła Berdychowska-Szostakowska, editor of the 'Więź' quarterly, featured Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, Jacek Siewiera, Secretary of State at the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, Head of the National Security Bureau, Alojzy Z. Nowak, rector of the University of Warsaw, Paweł Poncyljusz, president of Polska Amunicja, Rajmund Andrzejczak, former Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces (2018–2023), and Zbigniew Parafianowicz, journalist of Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.

Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz presented the cornerstones of action which, as he said, may be unpopular, difficult, but are “the only effective protection for the Polish state, our future and the future of our children and grandchildren, as well as that of our allies against existing threats.” The daily situation on the Polish-Belarusian, Russian-Finnish, Russian-Belarusian-Lithuanian, or Belarusian-Latvian borders is the reason for this view, these actions and the ‘highest effort’.

“These three cornerstones represent an effective state combined with community and social resilience. In fact, it was these cornerstones that have helped Ukraine survive and win the first phases of the war. After all, the failure to capture Kyiv was a defeat for Russia. This happened by building Ukraine's social resilience. Before that, the country had been badly divided, and the east had not communicated with the west. The question remains on how the situation is going to develop,” explained Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.

“The development of these cornerstones in Poland requires the partnership of politicians, something unpopular. This is because today politicians who propose such partnerships are in the centre and you are criticised from both sides of the political spectrum. However, I believe that this is the way it has to be. So far the partnership has been successful, as shown for example by the fact that the President, the Prime Minister and myself gave speeches on the Polish Army Day. These speeches all pointed in the same direction. The common denominator is security, which was not obvious after the government change,” stressed the Deputy Prime Minister.

He added that social acceptance of defence spending is important, something he believes was not the case, for example, ten years ago. “Today people I meet on the street or at meetings say explicitly: we can make the effort, it is good that so much money is spent on defence. Next year it is going to be 4.7 per cent of GDP. This is the highest amount among all NATO countries. We cannot spend less, because there is no other way to achieve these goals. They have social consent, acceptance and support.”

He reminded that there will be new solutions in the area of civil defence, the construction of shelters, “a new law will soon be passed by the government and referred for discussion.” The Deputy Prime Minister also spoke about the promotion of the Polish arms industry. “We not only want to buy a lot, we want to sell. We need to transform the arms industry. We need to have the capacity to produce munitions. We are not going to make the F-35, but we can make 155-calibre ammunition. We must and we can do it. This is also a measure of survival.”

Jacek Siewiera agreed with the statements of Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and strongly emphasised that there were two factors behind Ukraine's successful defence in the first year of the war. “These were the quality of political leadership and the unconditional, prepared, immediate help from Poland. These words must be repeated time and time again,” stressed the head of the National Security Bureau. “The three cornerstones mentioned are key if we do not want to find ourselves in the situation of Ukraine. These are the development of the armed forces, the strengthening of alliances and the restoration of national unity.”

Partner: ISW

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The geopolitical situation after Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Its significance for stability and security in our part of Europe. The need to increase military spending. These issues received most of the attention at the panel ‘Peace and quiet is over. Poland at war' during the 33rd Economic Forum in Karpacz.

The panel, chaired by Bogumiła Berdychowska-Szostakowska, editor of the 'Więź' quarterly, featured Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, Jacek Siewiera, Secretary of State at the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, Head of the National Security Bureau, Alojzy Z. Nowak, rector of the University of Warsaw, Paweł Poncyljusz, president of Polska Amunicja, Rajmund Andrzejczak, former Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces (2018–2023), and Zbigniew Parafianowicz, journalist of Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.

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