Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said: “Last year, the EU has made more progress in defence than in decades before.” She added: “The White Paper and the Readiness Roadmap 2030 enabled Member States to mobilise up to 800 billion euros for defence.”
Continuing her statement, von der Leyen said: “This includes the 150 billion euros for joint procurement – SAFE.” She further noted: “We have now approved an initial batch of SAFE plans for Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Portugal and Romania.”
She also said: “The others will follow shortly after.” Von der Leyen concluded: “It is now urgent for the Council to approve these plans to allow fast disbursement.”
The decision follows an in-depth assessment of the National Defence Investment Plans submitted under the Security Action for Europe initiative. It opens the way for a first wave of low-cost, long-term loans to help the countries rapidly enhance military readiness, procure modern equipment and integrate Ukraine into the EU security framework.
Funding amounts were provisionally set in September based on solidarity and transparency, with €1.18 billion earmarked for Cyprus and €16.68 billion for Romania. Once loan agreements are signed, the eight Member States will be entitled to around €38 billion to support key strategic capabilities.
The Council now has four weeks to adopt the necessary implementing decisions following the Commission’s assessment. After approval, loan agreements will be finalised and the first payments are expected to be disbursed in March 2026.
The SAFE Regulation was adopted on 27 May 2025 as part of the Readiness 2030 defence package aimed at boosting investment in European defence capabilities. It enables joint procurement, supports interoperability and cost reduction, and allows participation by Ukraine, EFTA and EEA countries, as well as candidate and partner states.
