On 29 May 2026, Poland received its first payment of €6.6 billion under the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defence financing instrument, representing 15% of its total allocation of €43.7 billion. Poland is the largest recipient of SAFE funding and the first Member State to receive a payment under the instrument.
The pre-financing will help Poland accelerate priority defence investments, strengthen resilience, and modernise its military capabilities in line with shared European goals. SAFE is designed to enable swift, co-ordinated action, improve the ability of European forces to work together, and strengthen Europe’s defence industry.
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy said: “Europe must be prepared for any scenario and ready to act under any circumstances. The SAFE loan programme is important element in this mission—it is an essential tool for securing and advancing our continent’s urgent military capabilities.”
Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space said: “Today’s €6.6 billion pre-financing for Poland under SAFE is a concrete step forward for our common security. It will help deliver investments faster and strengthen Europe’s readiness through greater co-operation and joint capabilities.”
This pre-financing payment follows the completion of all required procedural steps and reflects the EU’s commitment to providing timely, practical support through SAFE. Further payments will follow, as the Polish SAFE plan will be progressively implemented.
The SAFE instrument is financed by EU borrowing on the financial markets. This enables competitively priced and attractively structured long-duration loans to requesting Member States. The terms of the SAFE loans benefit from the EU’s strong credit rating. All SAFE loans will be repaid by the beneficiary Member States.