Estonia to get €2.66 billion from EU's SAFE defense fund
Estonia is to receive €2.66 billion of the €150 billion defense support the European Commission approved on Tuesday.
The funds are aimed at boosting defense readiness and capabilities across the EU, and are based on the European security measures program (SAFE).
"SAFE is a financial assistance to Member States for the first time ever in defence at EU level," European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius said.
"That is why SAFE stands as a historic European defense instrument, backed by the EU budget guarantee, providing up to EUR 150 billion of attractive loans to EU Member States to bolster EU defense readiness and to incentivize joint procurement," Kubilius went on via a press release.
The Council of the European Union adopted the SAFE program in May 2025, since which time it has attracted great interest among member states, the European Commission representation in Estonia announced.
A total of 19 member states have expressed their intention to participate in the measure, and the amount of support requested exceeds the current total budget.
SAFE makes it possible to provide long-term and low-cost loans to help member states and Ukraine acquire essential defense equipment. The program includes a 10-year extension for loan repayments, competitive interest rates, and opportunities to expand eligibility based on agreements concluded with third countries.
Member states can now prepare their national investment plans, which describe the use of the requested financial aid.
The plans must be submitted to the Commission by the end of November 2025. The Commission then evaluates them, with the first payments planned for early 2026.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi, Andrew Whyte
