The European Commission approved Romania's defense plan. Almost €17 billion in funding through the SAFE programme
Military technique of the Romanian army. Photo source: SIRP – Information and Public Relations Section / MApN
The European Commission approved Romania's national defense investment plan and proposed the granting of financial assistance of 16.68 billion euros through the SAFE program, the decision to be analyzed by the EU Council, informs a press release of the community executive.
Romania is among the eight member states for which the Commission approved a first batch of national defense investment plans, along with Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, Croatia, Cyprus and Portugal.
“We have now approved an initial batch of SAFE plans for Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Portugal and Romania. The others will follow shortly afterwards. It is now urgent that these plans are approved by the Council to enable payments to be made quickly,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
What the SAFE program provides
The decision follows the evaluation of the “national defense investment plans” submitted by member states under the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative.
The approval paves the way for a first wave of long-term, low-cost loans to strengthen military capabilities and purchase modern defense equipment. The program also aims to integrate Ukraine into the security ecosystem of the European Union and ensure “quick and sustainable” support, according to Agerpres.
Funding levels were provisionally set in September, based on the principles of solidarity and transparency. In this first group, Romania has a provisional allocation of 16.68 billion euros, the second largest in the program, after Spain. In total, the eight states can access around 38 billion euros after signing the loan agreements.
After the Commission's assessment is completed, the Council has four weeks to adopt implementing decisions. Once approved, the Commission will finalize the loan agreements, with the first payments to be made in March 2026.
The reaction of the Romanian Government
The Romanian government welcomed the approval of the application submitted for financing through the SAFE instrument and announced that the projects included in the file will be made public during the next week.
The executive specifies that Romania benefits from the second largest allocation from the program, and by 2030 the authorities must capitalize on this opportunity by completing the planned defense purchases.
“We thank the colleagues from the SAFE group and those from the Prime Minister's Chancellery, who ensured the secretarial work, for their efforts. By 2030, Romania must capitalize on this opportunity by completing the purchases”, the Executive sent in a press release.
