ABSTRACT
This chapter is focused on the approach of Poland’s political elite towards European strategic autonomy. The chapter covers the adaptation of the idea of ESA to Poland’s needs. The first part presents the initially sceptical reaction of the Polish political elite to ESA. The second part aims to illustrate how the Polish elite has infused the concept with close cooperation with the US. The third part argues that one of the main reasons for Poland’s scepticism is its distrust of the major European powers – Germany and France. Then, the Polish idea of open strategic autonomy (OSA) is presented. Finally, the chapter concludes with the idea of strengthening the European Union (EU) as a defence union proposed in Poland by the political opposition.
