US EditionEU Agrees to Launch €150bn Loans-for-Arms Scheme
- The European Union agreed to launch a €150 billion loan programme on May 21, 2025, to boost defence production across member states.
- The scheme addresses concerns raised by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and doubts over long-term U.S. military support, prompting urgent rearmament.
- The SAFE borrowing plan, backed by the EU budget, allows 35% of procurement from non-EU manufacturers and requires formal approval by May 27, 2025.
- Analyst Loredana Muharremi called the €150 billion fund "too small" and constrained, noting it risks falling short of Europe's defence ambitions.
- The initiative forms part of a wider EU effort to increase defence spending and industrial capacity, potentially unlocking up to €800 billion in military investment.
114 Articles
114 Articles
The EU's defence splurge — a gold rush for arms lobbyists
This defence spending splurge in budgets may be necessary for security, but it’s triggering a lobbying gold rush in Brussels as arms manufacturers scramble to shape how new funds get spent. The result? An uptick in lobbying that risks outpacing the rules meant to keep influence peddling in check, warns Transparency International.
The arms race of the Union: the Bei Group enters the capital of a company that deals with military startups. Also defined as the 150 billion loans of the Safe programme
EUR 150 billion of guaranteed loans, a European preference clause has 65% and a geopolitical arm with Washington: decrypting the new European defence bazooka.
The document, to which EL WORLD has had access, confirms that European purchases will be prioritized, is loaded with war language and totally discards the subsidies requested by Spain Read
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