European Commission approves national defense plans of eight countries under SAFE

The European Commission has approved the national defense plans of eight member states, including Greece, and submitted the proposal to the Council of the European Union for funding under the SAFE mechanism — “Security Assistance in Europe.” The decision was published on January 27, 2026.

After a “rigorous assessment” of the plans, funding was proposed for Estonia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Finland. The EU Council has a four-week period to review and approve these proposals. If approved, the first payments are expected in March 2026.

Earlier, in mid-January, the Commission had already approved the first eight national plans — Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, and Portugal. Of the nineteen countries participating in the SAFE mechanism, plans for sixteen states have now been approved; the plans of France, Hungary, and the Czech Republic are still under review.

In September 2025, the Commission approved a temporary SAFE fund allocation of €150 billion. For Greece, €787.67 million was approved out of the requested €1.2 billion. The SAFE regulation, introduced on May 27, 2025, under the “Readiness 2030” package, aims to rapidly boost defense investments through joint procurement from the European defense industry.

For residents of Cyprus, this means that the approved national plan makes the country eligible for SAFE funding and participation in joint European procurement of defense equipment and services.