Canada is the first non-European country to participate in the SAFE instrument. The agreement was signed on 14 February 2026.
“Canada is one of the European Union’s closest allies. Having Canada joining SAFE highlights the deep trust between us and sets a strong precedent for how the EU can collaborate with key strategic partners to safeguard our collective future,” said Vasilis Palmas, Minister of Defence of Cyprus.
The Council said the agreement reflects the shared ambition of the EU and Canada to deepen security and defence ties. It also supports further joint defence cooperation under the Security and Defence Partnership signed at the Canada-EU Summit on 23 June 2025.
SAFE is an EU financial instrument for member states that want to invest in defence industrial production through common procurement. It focuses on priority capabilities.
The instrument finances urgent and large-scale investments in the European defence technological and industrial base. Its aims include increasing production capacity, ensuring timely availability of defence equipment and addressing capability gaps.
Under SAFE, Ukraine and EFTA/EEA countries can participate in common procurement. Acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates can also take part.
Countries that have signed Security and Defence Partnerships with the EU may also participate in common procurement. They may also contribute to aggregated demand under the instrument.
The SAFE regulation was adopted in May 2025. It formed part of Readiness 2030, a defence package designed to give EU member states financial tools to increase defence investment.
