Poland applies to EC for EU exit clause - MinFin
Poland has applied for the EU's exit clause, the finance ministry said in a statement. The ministry announced its intention to use the clause on Tuesday.
As the finance ministry indicated in the statement, on March 19, 2025, the European Commission encouraged Member States to use the national escape clause (NEC) in a coordinated manner due to the exceptional circumstances of Russia's aggression against Ukraine and the deteriorating security environment.
This should, in the EC's view, allow EU countries to achieve sustainably higher defence spending while maintaining stable public finances in the medium term.
"The national clause allows an exit from the spending path recommended by the Ecofin Council up to the amount of incremental defence spending relative to the situation before the war in Ukraine, but no more than 1.5 percent of GDP," the finance ministry said.
Poland's Ministry of Finance continued that according to estimates, the increment in defence spending according to the EU definition of COFOG (Classification of Government Expenditure by Function) in Poland, compared to 2021, will be 1.1 percent of GDP in 2024 and 1.3 percent of GDP in 2025.
"Also, in the subsequent years of the clause, defence spending in Poland will be at a significantly higher level than in 2021," it added.
The ministry pointed out that given that this exceptional situation affects all Member States, and with a view to maximising the impact on the EU's defence preparedness and the production capacity of the defence industry, the EC has encouraged all Member States to apply - in a coordinated manner - for an exit clause, if possible, by the end of April.
"The April date for applying for a national exit clause is not a deadline and countries can decide later," Poland's MinFin stressed.
It added that applications from Member States that have been submitted to the Ecofin Council and the European Commission by the end of April, including Poland, will be assessed by the EC by June 4, and, on the basis of its recommendation, the Ecofin Council will adopt the relevant recommendations already on July 8.
"During the application of the clause, EU countries will continue to be subject to EU economic governance rules," the ministry said.
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