On Monday 9 December, Agnieszka Bartol, Poland’s Ambassador to the EU, reiterated the need to find ways of funding European defence before the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), due in 2028.
“Putin will not wait for the MFF and war will not wait for the MFF”, Ms Bartol warned at a European Policy Centre event.
The ambassador acknowledged that there had been a “fundamental change” in attitudes since the start of the war in Ukraine. “A few years ago, EU defence funding was taboo, as were innovative instruments” on the subject, she explained.
According to Ms Bartol, funding has two dimensions: national - Poland is expected to spend 4.7% of its GDP on defence in 2025 - and European. The ambassador hoped to be able to work on funding options under the Polish Presidency of the EU Council. “We need to explore every possible solution, and we need to do it very quickly. This is what we intend to do, hopefully, on the basis of the ‘white paper’ (on defence)”, she explained.
“Everyone is talking about defence spending at EU level. What for? The question needs to be answered precisely”, said the ambassador, citing the Polish air defence shield project, the Eastern Shield and the Baltic Defence Line. “When you have the ‘what’, it’s easier to work on the ‘how’, and of course the question of ‘how much’. For me, the question of ‘how much’ should answer ‘for what’, and not the other way around”, she added.
Sanctions against Russia. Returning to the issue of sanctions against Russia, the ambassador promised that her country was “very ambitious”, while pointing out that decisions were being taken unanimously. “The Council is currently discussing the 15th sanctions package. We’d like to go further. We’ve been saying this for a long time”, she explained. Warsaw would like to see measures on the import of liquefied natural gas.
In addition to sanctions, the ambassador highlighted the imposition of customs duties, which can have an equivalent effect. Citing the customs duties imposed on certain agricultural products, which are adopted by qualified majority, Ms Bartol felt that this was “probably also an interesting avenue to explore”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)