The European Commission is inviting Member States to participate in the second round of the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument. With an allocation of €21.3 billion, this second call will be open to all Member States. Once the Commission receives the target amounts from Member States, the Commission will inform them about the tentative allocations within two weeks after the submission deadline.
Along their needs and national defence priorities, Member States are also encouraged to use the funds from this second call to strengthen cooperation with Ukraine. This is foreseen by including common procurement with Ukraine into their investment plans. Member States should also prioritise the urgent needs of Ukrainian and Member States’ armed forces in the areas of air and missile defence systems, drones and counter-drone systems, and ammunition and missiles.
The new funding opportunities available in this second call are part of the €150 billion in long-maturity SAFE loans adopted in May 2025. In November 2025, Member States submitted their defence industry plans to the Commission, with some requesting lower amounts than those initially agreed. So far, the EU has approved loan agreements from all 19 Member States who decided to participate in the instrument. For 16 of those, the Commission has already signed their loan agreements. The Commission has so far disbursed almost €13.5 billion across 11 Member States, which had requested prefinancing.
A key component of Readiness 2030, SAFE aims at accelerating investments in defence capabilities, strengthening readiness and resilience, and reinforcing Europe’s defence industrial base through greater cooperation and joint procurement.
