Skip to content
MIKES

EU programmes · European Commission (financed via EU capital market borrowing)

Security Action for Europe

LoansDefence
Ticket size
Up to EUR 150 billion total; per-country allocations determined by Member State request and Commission assessment

About the programme

SAFE is a temporary EU financial instrument under the ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030, through which the European Commission raises up to EUR 150 billion on capital markets and on-lends the proceeds to requesting EU Member States as long-maturity loans (up to 45 years, with a 10-year principal grace period).

  • It is designed to fund rapid, large-scale common defence procurement in priority capability areas such as air and missile defence, drones, and strategic enablers.
  • Procurement must generally involve at least two Member States, though single-country procurement is permitted on a limited basis.
  • The regulation entered into force on 29 May 2025.

Why it matters

SAFE gives EU Member States access to competitively priced, long-duration sovereign-level financing specifically earmarked for defence procurement, which cascades down to defence-industry contractors and subcontractors established in the EU, EEA/EFTA states, or Ukraine.

  • For defence-tech companies and SMEs, qualifying as a contractor or subcontractor on SAFE-funded national programmes is one of the largest near-term demand signals in European defence, covering hardware, systems integration, and dual-capable platforms.
  • Poland's active participation (and the ongoing political debate about expanding eligible beneficiaries to border and internal-security services) signals that SAFE-linked procurement pipelines will be substantial and may broaden in scope.

Calls & cycles

none tracked
No call cycle on record. Check the official programme page.

Related programmes

EU programmesOpen call

CASSINI Space Entrepreneurship Initiative

European Commission (DG DEFIS), with EUSPA and the EIF

Space is treated as dual-use across EU funding; CASSINI gives space-defence start-ups an equity pipeline and visibility instruments that stack with EDF and EUDIS applications.

EquityAcceleratorsPrizes & challengesDual-useDeep tech
See programme
EU programmesOpen call

Defence Equity Facility (DEF)

European Investment Fund with the European Commission, under InvestEU

Not a programme you apply to as a company, but it determines which European VCs have fresh defence-mandated capital; track its fund commitments to know who can actually write you a cheque.

EquityDefenceDual-useDeep tech
See programme
EU programmesOpen call

EIB Group Security and Defence Financing

European Investment Bank Group

Debt, not grants: the EIB now finances defence companies that banks still avoid, and venture debt from its one-stop shop can extend runway without dilution once you have revenue or strong contracts.

LoansEquityDefenceSecurityDual-use
Direct venture debt for fast-growing innovative SMEs and mid-caps; intermediated credit lines via partner banks for smaller ticketsSee programme