Poland is the largest recipient of SAFE funding. It is also the first EU Member State to receive a payment under the instrument.
The pre-financing is intended to help Poland accelerate priority defence investments. It will also support military modernisation, resilience and capabilities aligned with shared European defence goals.
The European Commission said SAFE is designed to enable swift and co-ordinated action. The instrument is also intended to improve the ability of European forces to work together and to strengthen Europe’s defence industry.
“Europe must be prepared for any scenario and ready to act under any circumstances. The SAFE loan programme is important element in this mission—it is an essential tool for securing and advancing our continent’s urgent military capabilities,” said Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy.
Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space, said the payment was a practical step for European security. He said it would help speed up investment and strengthen European readiness.
“Today’s €6.6 billion pre-financing for Poland under SAFE is a concrete step forward for our common security. It will help deliver investments faster and strengthen Europe’s readiness through greater co-operation and joint capabilities,” Kubilius said.
The European Commission said the payment follows the completion of all required procedural steps. It said further payments will follow as Poland progressively implements its SAFE plan.
SAFE is financed by EU borrowing on financial markets. The Commission said this enables competitively priced and attractively structured long-duration loans for Member States that request support.
The terms of SAFE loans benefit from the EU’s strong credit rating. All SAFE loans will be repaid by the beneficiary Member States.
