The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that Ukraine will be able to participate in projects within the framework of the new credit program of the European Union SAFE (Security Action for Europe) in the amount of €150 billion. This is what she is about stated during the press conference following the one-day meeting of the European Council in Brussels.
“Since the security of Ukraine is also the security of the European Union, Ukraine and its impressive defense industry will be able to participate in joint ordering under SAFE. Given that the security of Ukraine is not only about the security of the EU, but also about the security of the whole of Europe, we will also open such opportunities to associated partners.” said von der Leyen.
She added that during the meeting of European leaders, the European Commission presented the White Paper on the future of European defense. Von der Leyen emphasized that the competitiveness of the European economy and the defense of Europe are closely related, and progress in the field of defense has already become an “absolute necessity”.
The SAFE credit program, with a total volume of up to €150 billion, will be one of the main instruments for strengthening the EU’s defense capabilities.
We will remind that the executive board of the Ukraine Investment Framework announced a new call for applications for the banking sector in the amount of €1.6 billion. The initiative is aimed at expanding access to financing for small and medium-sized Ukrainian enterprises through the banking system with the involvement of state guarantees.
