The European Commission confirmed on Thursday that Turkey has submitted an expression of interest for the SAFE program, the EU’s new financing tool aimed at strengthening defense spending across member states.
According to Kathimerini sources, the relevant request was submitted by Turkey to the Commission last June.
Spokesperson Thomas Regnier said that the Commission has received official participation requests from both Turkey and South Korea. However, he did not provide details about the request, stating that it “is a sensitive issue, confidential information” intended only for discussion between candidate states and the team of Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defense and Space.
The Commission spokesperson also clarified that non-member countries have the right to participate in national defense programs of EU member states up to a maximum of 35% of each project. For participation in projects exceeding 35%, a bilateral agreement with the EU must be signed, as has already done by the United Kingdom and Canada.
In response to a question about the EU’s “safeguards” for countries – including candidate members – that threaten EU member states or the interests of the 27, the Commission spokesperson confirmed that “of course, there are safeguards,” but clarified these do not apply “specifically to Turkey.”
“We have safeguards in place to protect the interests of our member states and our industry. You can find them in Article 16 of the SAFE regulation,” he said, noting that this article allows the exclusion of any state undermining the security interests of a member state or the EU as a whole.
He added that the Commission continues to closely monitor developments and stands ready to act if needed.