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Canada joins EU Defence Programme

2025-12-03 08:27:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The EU and Canada announced on Monday that an agreement had been reached to allow Ottawa to participate in the 150 billion euro ($174 billion) SAFE Europe defense financing instrument.

In a joint statement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described the agreement as "the next step in our ever-deepening cooperation and a symbol of the shared priorities of the European Union and Canada."

What else did the EU and Canadian leaders say?

"In these times of geopolitical turmoil, SAFE is a tool to increase cooperation, meet defense objectives, and spend more efficiently, while simultaneously addressing short-term emergencies and long-term needs," Von der Leyen and Carney said in their statement.

"Together, we will create resilient defense supply chains between our industries at a crucial time for global security," they asserted.

What does SAFE aim to do?

The SAFE (Security Action for Europe) programme aims to provide its members with loans on favourable terms for the joint purchase of weapons with other partners. The loans will be guaranteed by the EU budget.

The program was created at a time when the EU seeks to strengthen its defense industry in response to Russia's growing military threat, while the United States appears to be retreating from its traditional defense solidarity with Europe.

Canada's decision to join the project comes as the country is also trying to reduce its defense dependence on its neighbor, given the growing cold shoulder of the Trump administration.

Although joint arms purchases made with the help of SAFE must have at least 65% of their components manufactured within the 27 EU member states, non-member states, such as Canada, can be granted exemptions. The UK had also announced its desire to join the SAFE program, but ultimately withdrew because of the entry quota required of participating countries. /DW