President Duda signs civil defense bill into law

The law aims to establish a civil protection system that, in the event of war, can transform into civil defense. The government will allocate at least 0.3% of the GDP annually for the implementation of these measures.

Its main objective is to improve non-military aspects of ensuring the survival of the population. The law complements and organizes actions aimed at preparing civil protection entities to respond in peacetime, a state of emergency, and during war.

The system will rely on existing resources, particularly the forces and means of the State Fire Service, the national rescue and firefighting system, volunteer fire brigades, entities authorized for mountain and water rescue, and other social organizations involved in rescue operations, civil protection, humanitarian aid, and safety education.

During a press conference on Tuesday, the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration, Tomasz Siemoniak, stated that this law is "one of the most important legislative projects of recent years."

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, emphasized that "security is an absolute priority for the government." He explained that civil defense is a key component of population protection, education, and preparation for the most difficult situations, which involves "people engaged in peacetime, in times of conflict threat, and during a conflict."

"We have a large army, the third-largest in NATO in terms of size, but we must also have a society resilient to threats, including cyberattacks," said the Minister of National Defense. "This society decides whether we win or lose a war, whether we survive a conflict, or whether we fall. A strong society is number one," he added.