Commission Outlines Preliminary Distribution
The European Commission has announced a preliminary allocation of €150 billion ($175.6 billion) under its new SAFE programme. SAFE (Security Action for Europe) is designed to strengthen defence readiness across the European Union.
Nineteen member states requested support and will share the funding through a pre-allocation system.
Final amounts will depend on approved defence projects and each country’s preparedness level.
Poland Receives Largest Share
Poland will receive the largest allocation, worth €43.7 billion.
Romania will follow with €16.68 billion, while France and Hungary will each receive €16.21 billion.
Italy will obtain €14.9 billion, Belgium €8.34 billion, and Lithuania €6.37 billion.
Portugal and Latvia will receive €5.84 billion and €5.68 billion, respectively.
Other Beneficiaries
Bulgaria will get €3.26 billion, Estonia €2.66 billion, and Slovakia €2.31 billion.
The Czech Republic will receive €2.06 billion, and Croatia €1.7 billion.
The Greek Cypriot Administration is set to receive €1.18 billion.
Spain and Finland will each receive €1 billion, while Greece will get €787 million.
Denmark will receive the smallest share at €46.7 million.
Loans to Boost Procurement
SAFE was adopted by EU leaders in May.
It will provide competitively priced, long-term loans to speed up urgent defence procurement.
The initiative forms part of the European Commission’s ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030, which targets €800 billion in defence spending.
Participation Beyond EU
While SAFE loans will be limited to EU member states, other countries can participate in joint procurement.
Ukraine and EEA-EFTA states will be eligible to join collaborative defence projects under the programme.
Qatar rejects White House claim
Meanwhile, the White House claimed on Tuesday that Qatar was informed before Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Doha. Officials said the attack killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer in a residential district.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Israel targeted Hamas members “unfortunately located in Doha.”
She stressed that bombing inside Qatar “does not advance Israel or America’s goals.”
Leavitt added that President Donald Trump directed envoy Steve Witkoff to notify Qatari officials of the impending strike.
Qatar strongly refuted Washington’s version of events.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari wrote on X that the US call came “during the sound of the explosions.”
Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Qatar received notice ten minutes after the attack began.
He condemned the incident as “state terrorism” and a violation of Qatari sovereignty.
Trump Expresses Regret, Shifts Blame
Trump expressed regret, saying he felt “very badly about the location of the attack.”
He assured Qatar that such an incident would not happen again.
The former US president clarified that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the strike decision independently.
“This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, not by me,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He added that his envoy’s effort to warn Qatar came “too late.”
