Brussels, July 30, 2025 (Lusa) - The European Commission has received formal expressions of interest from 18 Member States, including Portugal, to access loans on favourable terms under the Security Assistance Facility for Europe (SAFE), it announced on Wednesday.

In addition to Portugal, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Finland have also formalised their interest, according to a statement from the EU executive, which provides overall data.

Brussels expects SAFE to mobilise up to €150 billion in investments under the European programme of loans on favourable terms for strengthening defence, a mechanism it intends to use to cover the priority needs of the armed forces.

To this end, Portugal's defence minister, Nuno Melo, has set up a working group to develop the expression of interest and “subsequent formal request for financial assistance,” the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

This is the SAFE initiative created by the European Commission to support Member States in urgent investments in the technological and industrial base of defence, covering priority needs of the Armed Forces through loans with maturities of up to 45 years, grace periods of up to ten years and the possibility of pre-financing of up to 15%.

This initial expression of interest will allow the Commission to assess demand and prepare for raising funds on the capital markets.

The deadline for formal applications under SAFE remains 30 November 2025.

SAFE is an essential tool for the European Union to strengthen resilience and security by supporting investments in areas such as defence, dual-use infrastructure, cyber capabilities and strategic supply chains.

IG/ADB // ADB.

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