At a pivotal moment for European Union security, sixteen of nineteen
At a pivotal moment for European Union security, sixteen of nineteen national defense investment plans—including Greece’s—have now secured the final approvals required to unlock initial funding disbursements.
The financing comes under the European Commission’s ambitious “Security Action for Europe” (SAFE) program, designed to strengthen the continent’s defense capabilities.
On Tuesday Feb. 17, EU finance ministers approved the national plans of eight additional member states, totaling 74 billion euros in funding. The approved proposals come from Estonia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Finland, accounting for roughly half of the 150 billion euros available through SAFE.
Poland stands out, having requested more than 43 billion euros on its own—an illustration of the scale of its defense ambitions.
Final approval clears the way for loan agreements with the European Commission and the release of advance payments, according to Euronews. These pre-financing payments may reach up to 15% of the total funding requested by each member state. Subsequent installments will depend on regular progress reports and implementation milestones submitted to EU authorities.
The latest decision follows an earlier approval round covering projects worth 38 billion euros from Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Portugal, and Romania. Overall, nineteen
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