The European Commission has approved the second set of national defense plans under the SAFE (Security Activities for Europe) initiative, paving the way for billions of dollars in loans to eight member states to urgently increase their military readiness.
Elchi.az reports that the commission has submitted a proposal to the EU Council to provide funding to 8 countries. These are Estonia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Finland. Poland is expected to receive the most, approximately EUR 44 billion, among all participating countries.
Once the loan agreements are signed, these eight countries will have access to approximately EUR 74 billion in funding. These are long-term, low-interest loans intended for strategic military construction.
The EU Council has four weeks to formally adopt the implementing decision. After the agreements are finalized, the first payments are expected to be made to the countries in March 2026.
Meanwhile, Brussels continues to assess the plans of the remaining EU member states to be included in the next waves of funding.