Defence investments will be easier to make - Polish defence minister
The Polish government has adopted a revolutionary draft law aimed at simplifying defence investments, the defence minister has announced.
"This is a revolution, long-awaited by soldiers and commanders, and also by citizens as they expect an efficient state," Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said after a government meeting on Tuesday.
Kosiniak-Kamysz said this revolutionary bill will make it easier to make defence investments as it will "completely change the attitude towards security."
The draft divides defence investments into key ones, like the Shield East or ammunition production, and strategic ones which will be authorised by a provincial governor who will be able to issue a decision.
"We are putting an end to the inability which, unfortunately, we faced when we took over power," Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters, explaining that "until now, it has taken three years or even more to obtain appropriate investment permits."
"We are done with that... We are simplifying the entire decision-making procedure," he said.
"We have adopted a bill which will radically simplify the procedure. We will not have to wait for years to obtain permits, and we will be able to quickly take a decision regarding a situation which directly concerns the security of the Polish people," Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, adding he was very glad that the government had passed the bill.
Poland's Shield East, to be included in the key investment category, is a programme developed by the Ministry of National Defence and the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces. It entails constructing various types of fortifications, terrain obstacles, and military infrastructure along Poland's borders with Russia and Belarus, stretching for approximately 800 km.
The plans also include the development of reconnaissance and threat detection systems, forward bases, logistical hubs, warehouses and the deployment of anti-drone systems. (PAP)
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