EU Ministers Approve Half of Defence Loan Plans Under €150 bn SAFE Scheme
EU ministers have approved national defence investment plans worth approximately €74 billion under the bloc’s €150 billion SAFE loan instrument. The decision allows participating member states to begin accessing EU-backed financing for military procurement.
EU defence and economy ministers have given formal approval to a group of national defence investment plans worth about €74 billion, representing roughly half of the €150 billion available under the European Union’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defence loan instrument. The endorsement clears the way for those member states to start receiving concessional loans to fund purchases of military equipment.
The plans approved cover submissions from Estonia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Finland. Poland’s plan is the largest among them, accounting for more than €43 billion of the total. With this vote, 16 out of 19 national plans have now cleared the final approval stage needed to unlock financing.
SAFE was created in 2025 to provide EU states with long-term, low-cost loans for joint defence procurement and aims to strengthen European capability and interoperability. The first disbursements of funds are expected to begin in early 2026, enabling participating countries to accelerate investments in key military systems and equipment.
Several other countries, including Czechia, France and Hungary, still have plans pending approval. Once all plans are cleared, the programme will help governments scale up defence acquisitions to respond to evolving security challenges.
