Canada Joins European Defense Program
The European Union and Canada have announced an agreement that allows Ottawa to join the European defense funding program known as “SAFE.”
In a joint statement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that “in these geopolitically tumultuous times, the ‘SAFE’ program serves as a means to strengthen cooperation and achieve better defense goals and spending.”
The officials praised the agreement, which grants Canada the right to participate in the program, describing it as “an additional step toward deepening cooperation and a symbol of shared priorities between the European Union and Canada.”
Von der Leyen and Carney added, “Together, we will work to establish resilient defense supply chains between our industries at a critical time for global security.”
The “SAFE” program, or “Security Action for Europe,” aims to provide loans to participating countries under favorable terms to enable them to jointly purchase weapons with other partners.
Participants are required to contribute financially to this scheme; however, this requirement posed a hurdle for the United Kingdom last week, as it sought to join the program without paying the necessary fees.
The European Union is striving to bolster its defense industry in response to the increasing military threat from Russia, alongside the United States’ detachment from Europe.
