Reuters reported on September 1 that Poland's purchases of defense equipment from domestic companies and Sino-European joint ventures have nearly quadrupled, from approximately 8 billion zlotys in 2022 to 30.4 billion zlotys in 2025. Core defense spending is projected to reach €53 billion in 2026, approximately 4.7% of GDP; the number of active-duty and related military personnel has exceeded 220,000. This indicates that European defense orders are shifting from long-distance imports to domestic production and Sino-European "near-shore production," but the cost is equally significant: large-scale equipment deliveries are pushing up the fiscal deficit, which Poland expects to maintain at 7.1% of GDP in 2027.
