Italy has formally requested $9.3 billion in loans from the Security Action for Europe defense funding program.
Italy has formally requested 8 billion euros ($9.3 billion) in loans from the European Union's Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defense funding program, seeking cheaper financing for planned military spending.
Rome sent a letter to the European Commission requesting access to the facility, according to a Reuters report. Italy was provisionally allocated up to 14.9 billion euros ($17.3 billion) under SAFE.
The request comes after months of debate within Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's governing coalition over whether Italy should use the program. Reuters reported that Matteo Salvini's League has repeatedly expressed reservations about taking part, while Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has strongly supported accessing the funds.
SAFE is an EU financial instrument created to help member states accelerate major defense investments and close critical capability gaps. Adopted in May 2025, it provides up to 150 billion euros ($174.8 billion) in competitively priced, long-term loans backed by EU borrowing.
The European Commission had already approved Italy's national defense investment plan in January, alongside plans from Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Finland.
SAFE Funding
SAFE is intended to support large-scale procurement and strengthen Europe's defense industrial base, with a particular emphasis on joint procurement involving multiple countries.
Eligible projects include ammunition, missiles, air defense, and ground combat systems. Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Norway recently announced plans to purchase Piorun air defense missiles and launchers worth 8 billion Polish złoty ($2.2 billion), financed through the program.
Several countries have already begun receiving funding from the facility, with Poland by far the largest beneficiary of the program.
SAFE forms part of the EU's broader ReArm Europe/Readiness 2030 effort, which is intended to mobilize more than 800 billion euros ($919 billion) in defense investment across the bloc.
