Cyprus receives first SAFE tranche — €177 million for defence

The European Union has transferred Cyprus the first tranche under the SAFE defence programme, amounting to €177.2 million. This is an advance payment (15%) of the total concessional loan approved for the country, which amounts to almost €1.2 billion. The funds will go toward modernising the National Guard and purchasing armaments.

Key points about the programme and funding:
• The SAFE (Security Action for Europe) programme, with a total budget of €150 billion, provides EU countries with concessional repayable loans for the purchase of military equipment, air defence systems and ammunition.
• Cyprus was among the first group of countries to gain access to the funds, alongside Spain, Bulgaria, Croatia and other states. The island will receive the rest of the funding in stages as the programme’s conditions are met.
• The exact list of projects and procurement details for Cyprus has not yet been disclosed. However, in recent months Nicosia has been actively discussing the purchase of French armoured vehicles, Greek anti-drone systems, and has signed a roadmap for military-technical cooperation with India for 2026–2031.