Adopted by the Council of the European Union on the 27th of May 2025, SAFE (Security Action for Europe) is the EU’s new financial instrument designed to provide financial support to Member States to speed up defence readiness by allowing urgent and major investments in support of the European defence industry, with a focus on closing critical capability gaps.

May 21, 2025 - The Commission’s ‘Readiness ... pillar, aims to turbocharge orders, secure supply chains, and fire up manufacturing lines by nudging member states to pool procurement in certain capabilities that are seen as priorities...

September 9, 2025 - SAFE is not a permanent instrument. It is ‘an exceptional and temporary response’ to the need to ‘markedly’ step up Europe’s ability to defend itself. The loans will be disbursed by the end of 2030 and repaid over 45 years. This is part of a wider package of measures under the ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030 intended not only to boost defence spending, but to ensure that that spending promotes collaboration and avoids some of the wasteful practices that have characterised European defence spending to date.

October 21, 2025 - Most notably, it presented an ad hoc financial instrument, the Security Action for Europe (SAFE), to reinforce the European Defence Industrial Ecosystem through loans for common procurement.

At that European Council, all member ... pace needed. SAFE is the first pillar of the European Commission's ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030, which proposes to leverage over €800 billion in defence spending....

The Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument provides loans to EU member states for the acquisition of high-priority, EU-produced defence equipment. SAFE allows limited non-EU product content under strict conditions and breaks new ground ...

A 1.5% GDP increase in defence ... - Security Action for Europe (SAFE) - to help countries invest in key defence areas like missile defence, drones, and cyber security....

August 11, 2025 - It is an extraordinary fund designed to urgently fill gaps in the defence abilities of countries, increase the production capacity as well as ensure the availability of defence equipment.

2 days ago - Under the SAFE scheme, the EU jointly borrowed money on financial markets to lend to countries in the bloc for defence projects. Asked about recent criticism from Nigel Farage, whose Reform UK party is leading in the polls, who said the governing ...

December 5, 2025 - Launched in 2025 under the “Readiness 2030” agenda, SAFE is a €150 billion defence-financing instrument designed to fill long-standing capability gaps, support joint procurement, and bolster Europe’s strategic autonomy. Unlike previous piecemeal initiatives, SAFE represents the EU’s most ambitious attempt yet to knit together the defence industries and procurement plans of its member states – and even certain partners beyond the Union.

3 weeks ago - This decision follows a rigorous assessment of the countries' "National Defence Investment Plans" under the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative. The endorsement paves the way for the first wave of low-cost, long-term loans to be released, allowing these nations to urgently scale up their military readiness and acquire needed modern defence equipment. It also integrates Ukraine into the EU security ecosystem and ensures our support is both rapid and sustainable.

May 28, 2025 - Since the European Union (EU) extended its competencies to the defence sector, it has faced a dilemma: how should it involve (or not) third-country companies in the programmes it has established to finance cooperation between its members? In particular, how should it include companies from NATO allies that are not EU members? With every new initiative launched in this area, this question inevitably returns to the negotiating table, often sparking fierce debate. By adopting the programme known as SAFE (Security Action for Europe), its latest step towards rearmament, the EU appears to have squared the circle of this thorny equation.

September 8, 2025 - Initiated from 29 May with its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, SAFE enables Member States to submit national plans for fund access, aligning procurement projects with EU aims.

Following the approval of the first wave of defence funding, the European Commission has cleared a second group of national defence plans under the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative, marking another major step in making the Union safer.

The SAFE Regulation represents a fundamental shift in EU defence policy, introducing unprecedented financial support coupled with strict eligibility criteria designed to build a robust European defence industrial base.

3 weeks ago - The SAFE programme offers loans to EU Member States to increase investment in defence capabilities. Credit: MEDIAIMAG/Shutterstock.com. The European Commission has approved national defence investment plans for eight EU Member States, initiating ...

September 17, 2025 - It involves raising the new funding through “capital markets” and then redistributing it to member states through loans based on demand and national equipment plans, according to a Commission statement.

September 8, 2025 - SAFE makes good on the goals ... readiness. It is the first pillar of the European Commission's ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030, which aims to unlock more than €800bn in defence spending across the EU....