“We approved a Resolution that authorizes the submission, to the European Commission, of our SAFE proposal, reiterating and confirming the initial proposal. The proposal will be entered on the platform by the deadline, which is Sunday. The investments will cover all domains: Land, Sea, Air and Space”, an official source from the Ministry of National Defense confirmed to DN.
As DN had anticipated, the Portuguese plan was approved this Friday, two days before the deadline to be presented to Brussels.
The SAFE (Security Action for Europe) program – the European Union’s (EU) new financial instrument created to strengthen the defense and security of Member States – will have a global value for Portugal of around 5.8 billion euros, more than the entire investment foreseen in the Military Programming Law (LPM) for 12 years (until 2034).
The Minister of the Presidency, Leitão Amaro, also said that the Council of Ministers took “the decision to invest 280 million in the rehabilitation of the Pandur fleet”, armored military vehicles.
This investment will allow “to provide around two more decades of good life capacity and military operation to around 185 vehicles”, he stated.
Last September, the Minister of Defense, Nuno Melo, said that this is “a detailed investment plan in the European defense industry, with a special focus on the integration of national industry in future value chains promoted by projects financed under SAFE”.
New land systems, including Pandur, for the Army; drones and satellites for the Air Force; and new ships (could be two frigates) for the Navy are among the new acquisitions.
This European program exclusively allows the purchase of products and platforms already on the market, and does not include investment in the development of new military solutions.
After evaluation by the European Commission in December 2025, and a formal decision by the Council of the EU in January 2026, the pre-financing amounts may begin to be made available in the first half of 2026, and it is expected that several projects may officially start with the arrival of the first funds.
The planned financial assistance takes the form of loans with terms of up to 45 years, grace periods of up to 10 years, the possibility of pre-financing of up to 15% and exemption from VAT on signed contracts.