Paris will receive 15 billion from the EU through the Security Action for Europe (Safe), a European program to finance defense and security expenses.
On the occasion of a ceremony on the sidelines of the Eurosatory exhibition, France signed a loan agreement with the European Commission for 15.1 billion euros under the Safe (Security Action for Europe) program, the 150 billion euro instrument created by the European Union to support the strengthening of the military capabilities of member states. The resources will be used to finance 35 projects in the fields of defense, research, and space. Paris is the fourth largest beneficiary of the program after Poland, Romania, and Hungary.
Brussels immediately praised the French move: present at the signing of the agreement, Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius praised the Élysée occupant Emmanuel Macron, stating that France should lead common European defense: “Citizens are looking for leadership and are looking to France.”
And Italy? Our country also requested in recent months to be admitted to loans totaling 14.9 billion euros from the EU under the Safe program. However, “to date the Safe mechanism has not been activated,” as explained by Defense Minister Guido Crosetto during the question time at the Chamber on June 17.
AGREEMENT BETWEEN PARIS AND BRUSSELS ON SAFE LOANS
On June 17, on the sidelines of the Eurosatory defense fair, the French Ministers of the Armed Forces and Economy, Catherine Vautrin and Roland Lescure, together with European Commissioners Andrius Kubilius and Piotr Serafin signed the agreement to access Safe loans.
The financing is part of the Safe program, launched by the European Commission in 2025 with a total allocation of 150 billion euros. The mechanism provides that the EU raises funds on the capital markets and makes them available to member states in the form of long-term loans, based on their investment plans for the European defense industry.
PRAISE FROM COMMISSIONER KUBILIUS
Following the agreement, Commissioner Kubilius explicitly invited the French government to take the reins of European collective security, urging other member states to rally around the leadership role that France is called upon to play. “France is at the forefront of European defense, thanks to its powerful army, its defense industry, and its independent nuclear deterrent,” Kubilius observed while speaking at Eurosatory, writes Euronews.
Kubilius “is effectively granting French President Emmanuel Macron the mandate to make his country the hub of the integration that has so far been missing,” the publication noted.
MISTRAL, MPP, GLOBALEYE AMONG THE FUNDED PROJECTS
According to Minister Vautrin, the European loan will finance 29 projects of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces and another six programs in the fields of research and space.
Among the initiatives listed are the acquisition of Mistral anti-aircraft missiles and MMP (Akeron MP) anti-tank missiles, both produced by the European consortium Mbda, as well as the purchase of GlobalEye airborne surveillance radar aircraft made by the Swedish group Saab, reports the French publication Usine Nouvelle.
HOW THE SAFE PROGRAM WORKS
As emphasized Bloomberg, the loans are tied to some “made in Europe” conditions, as well as the obligation to use them for joint procurements, both with other member states and with Ukraine.
The Safe program indeed provides specific criteria for access to funding. Eligible projects must incorporate at least 65% of components originating from the European Economic Area (EEA), which includes the 27 member states of the European Union plus Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein, or from Canada and Ukraine.
The participation of other international partners is possible, but only EU member states can directly benefit from the loans. Another goal of the program is to encourage joint purchases among European countries, thereby strengthening industrial cooperation and the standardization of military capabilities.
BENEFICIARY RANKING: PARIS FOURTH, AHEAD OF ROME
Among the 19 countries that have gained access to Safe funding, Poland is the main beneficiary with 43.7 billion euros. It is followed by Romania with 16.7 billion euros and Hungary with 16.2 billion.
France ranks fourth with 15.1 billion euros, immediately ahead of Italy. Our country requested in recent months to be admitted to loans totaling 14.9 billion euros from the EU under the Security Action for Europe (Safe) program to finance defense and security expenses. However, according to press sources, Rome is considering requesting only about 5 billion of the 15 billion initially planned through Safe, with possible repercussions on projects already agreed upon between the defense industry and the Ministry of Defense.
WHAT DEFENSE MINISTER CROSETTO SAID
“To date, the Safe mechanism has not been activated,” reiterated Defense Minister Crosetto during the question time at the Chamber regarding the Italian government’s willingness to activate the European Safe funds, specifying that if Italy joined, Defense “has investments ready” and “this would allow anticipating investments that would otherwise be postponed,” reported yesterday Radiocor.
“The decision to join the Safe funds is not a decision that the Defense Minister can make; it is a choice, taking into account other factors, made by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the government as a whole,” he explained, adding that the European Safe funds “are not a substitute instrument but are conceived as an additional tool to achieve defense goals sooner.”
The same argument about the ability to accelerate investments in Defense, the minister said, “applies to the increases of +0.15%/+0.20%” of Defense spending relative to GDP that Parliament committed to last year and that this year were postponed due to not exiting the stability pact. “I hope we can bring them up in the budget discussion for next year.”
