"It is the next step in our deepening cooperation and symbolic of our shared priorities," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in a joint statement.
SAFE is a defense fund where the EU has borrowed around SEK 1,600 billion and can then lend it to member states.
The basic idea is that the Safe money should be able to be used for purchases from EU-based businesses where at least 65 percent of the content comes from the EU. In parallel, there are requirements for advanced systems that everything should be able to be produced within the EU, if delivery of any part from outside cannot be done for various reasons.
The United Kingdom has also wanted to be part of the collaboration but is said to have objected to the fee to join.
Facts: Weapons that can be supported
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The European Commission foresees seven types of weapons and capabilities that can be supported with joint procurement through the new Safe support fund:
* air defense
* artillery system
* robots and ammunition
* drones and anti-drone systems
* "strategic enablers" – for example for aerial refueling
* military mobility
* cyber, AI and electronic warfare
Source: European Commission
