BRUSSELS (Realist English). Eighteen EU member states have submitted requests for a combined €127 billion in defence loans under the European Commission’s SAFE programme, with Poland alone accounting for over a third of the total, according to a statement from the EU executive on Wednesday.
Applications were filed ahead of the Commission’s soft deadline of 29 July, though more countries are expected to join before the formal cut-off on 30 November. The SAFE (Support to Accelerate Defence European) loans are part of the EU’s broader Readiness 2030 strategy aimed at massively scaling up defence investment across the bloc.
Among the applicants are Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, and Finland.
Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said Warsaw had requested around €45 billion to support key defence projects, including the country’s flagship “Eastern Shield” programme.
“These funds will directly reinforce the core capabilities of the Polish Armed Forces and our security programmes,” he wrote on X. “This is a tangible investment in the security and development of our defence industry, and in the defence of the entire EU and NATO.”
Poland’s defence spending has surged from 2.7% of GDP in 2022 to a projected 4.7% in 2025 — the highest in NATO.
The SAFE initiative allows the Commission to raise up to €150 billion on financial markets, leveraging its high credit rating to issue loans to member states for joint procurement of military equipment. The scheme requires participating projects to have a European preference, meaning that at least two-thirds of the value of the acquired system must be sourced from the EU, the EEA/EFTA, or Ukraine.
SAFE-funded projects must also target critical defence capabilities such as ammunition, air defence, drones and counter-drone systems, and military mobility.
Defence and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius welcomed the strong early interest, saying it reflects “the EU’s unity and ambition in security and defence.” A spokesperson confirmed that Kubilius remains in contact with other capitals and is “confident that more applications will follow.”
Some countries where domestic military spending remains politically sensitive may use SAFE funding exclusively to procure arms for Ukraine, while others, such as Germany, have indicated they may join joint procurement schemes but finance projects using national budgets.
Third countries, including the UK and Canada, have also expressed interest in joining on equal terms, but would need to negotiate separate bilateral agreements, including financial contributions, before participating.
