The European Commission confirmed that Turkey has missed the critical November 30 deadline for joining the European defense program SAFE. The €150 billion funding instrument aims to strengthen the European defense industry, while 19 member states have already submitted their applications.
Commission spokesperson clarifies Turkey’s status
European Commission spokesperson Tomáš Regnier categorically clarified the situation regarding third-country participation, including South Korea and Turkey. “I can confirm that these two countries will not meet the November 30 deadline. It is too late. South Korea and Turkey have formally submitted applications to participate in SAFE, but the Commission has not yet examined their requests,” he stated. This delay means the country loses the opportunity to join the program’s first phase.
Regarding negotiations that began two months ago with the United Kingdom and Canada for their participation in SAFE, Mr. Regnier mentioned that the Commission has worked constructively to achieve an agreement. However, he noted that if an agreement cannot be reached by November 30, “the door to SAFE remains open for these two countries“. He emphasized that both countries can, by definition, participate in SAFE for up to 35% of the total amount of a joint defense program.
It should be noted that by November 30, member states must submit detailed frameworks to the Commission outlining the projects they want to invest in, their budgets, and their partners for each project. After this date, the Commission will be able to announce how many and which countries met the deadline. It is worth noting that at the end of July 2025, Greece submitted a request to the Commission for loans worth €1.2 billion from SAFE.
The European defense program SAFE
The SAFE (Security Action for Europe) program is a European initiative to strengthen defense industry and readiness through €150 billion in funding. The goal is to support joint defense procurement and investments to address capability gaps and strengthen European defense production, particularly in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The program also funds investments in areas such as cyber capabilities and strategic supply chains.
Key points of the SAFE program:
- Objective: Strengthen the European defense industrial base through investments in joint procurement and production of defense equipment.
- Funding: The program will mobilize up to €150 billion through debt issuance by the European Commission, guaranteed by the EU budget.
- Operation: Will fund urgent and large-scale investments to cover critical capability gaps of member states.
- Will enable support for Ukraine by connecting its defense industry to the instrument from the beginning.
- Participation: EU member countries can submit applications for funding. Greece, for example, has submitted an application for €1.2 billion in funding.
- Third countries can participate under strict conditions.
- Additional investments: The program can support investments in other areas, such as dual-use infrastructure and cyber capabilities.
