Eighteen Member States of the European Union (EU) have so far expressed their interest in the European joint arms purchasing program intended to strengthen the defense capacities of the block, for an amount of 147 million euros, the European Commission said on Wednesday July 30.
The fund, called “SAFE” (safety action for Europe), should ultimately make it possible to raise 150 billion euros in investments in the defense. The countries have until November 30 to submit their requests.
The Commission said that the initial “strong interest” for this program now enabled it to prepare to raise funds on the capital markets.
The countries that have expressed their interest include France, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Spain, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia.
With Reuters (Bart Meijer, French version Elena Smirnova, edited by Kate Entringer)
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