EU Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier on Friday confirmed that Turkey and South Korea had applied to participate in the EU’s Security Action for Europe (Safe) program, though he noted it was highly unlikely they would meet Sunday’s deadline.
According to Regnier, “SAFE is an emergency measure and the European Commission will act quickly.”
The Commission is likely to have completed its assessment of national plans before the end of this year and, if this is positive, final approval will then have to be given by the EU Council in order for the first tranche to be released, which will correspond to a maximum of 15% of the loans requested by each member State. This first disbursement will allow member states to contact defense industries and start their equipment programs, the Commission spokesperson explained.
Meanwhile, in a related development, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said Thursday’s Cabinet decision took into account the ongoing Turkish occupation of 37% of the island republic’s territory, Cyprus’ position in a region of particular geostrategic importance and its EU membership.
As part of efforts to strengthen Cyprus’ defense, he said talks with the United States were at an advanced stage to take advantage of Cyprus’ inclusion in American defense programs.
Additionally, he said the Cypriot Cabinet has approved the list of armaments the country intends to procure through the SAFE mechanism, valued at almost 1.2 billion euros.
