A message directed at Ankara conveyed by the European Commission today states that threats towards an EU member state will hinder any participation in European defence programs.
Tomas Rainier, the Commission spokesman for defence, addressed queries regarding the involvement of third countries in the SAFE instrument, emphasizing that the Commission is taking the concerns of various member states seriously.
“We have taken into account the concerns of some Member States since proposing SAFE. Article 16 explicitly states that a third country may be excluded if it poses a direct threat to the defence or security of an EU member state or the entire EU,” Renier explained.
He noted that up to 65% of the components of a common supply product must originate from EU, EFTA/EEA countries, or Ukraine. Participation from third countries is capped at 35% of the product’s components.
It’s worth mentioning that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis recently emphasized in an interview that there cannot be any EU cooperation on defence programs with a nation that maintains a “casus belli” (threat of war) against Greece. Mitsotakis also plans to discuss this issue with Tayyip Erdogan, and reports indicate that Athens has already communicated its stance to European capitals and Brussels.
The SAFE program aims to fund urgent and significant investments in the European defence technological and industrial base. The EU intends to allocate up to €150 billion to member states upon request and based on national strategies. These funds will be provided as long-term loans at competitive interest rates.
SAFE also allows for collaboration with third countries. Ukraine and EEA-EFTA nations will be treated similarly to member states, while accession and candidate countries with established security and defence partnerships with the EU are eligible to participate as well.
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