Poland Caught Off Guard by EU Plan to Redirect SAFE Funds to Ukraine

Several European Union member states, led by Poland, expressed surprise after EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced plans to redirect leftover funds from the SAFE defense program toward joint projects with Ukrainian companies. The announcement was made during von der Leyen's State of the Union speech in Strasbourg, where she also proposed the Freya anti-ballistic coalition.

Poland's Concern

Warsaw had intended to use remaining SAFE funds for its own defense projects in the program's second application round. A Polish diplomat told RMF FM broadcaster: "There was no such conversation with the EC." The diplomat stressed that member states take out loans under SAFE and must repay them, giving capitals the right to decide how leftover funds are used.

No Prior Consultation

According to sources cited by Yevropeiska Pravda, member states were only hinted at potential changes during working meetings but were told that such modifications first needed to be agreed with them. The capitals say the Commission went ahead unilaterally.

Scale of Remaining Funds

The actual leftover amount is still unknown — countries have until the end of October to report on project implementation. Unofficially, estimates suggest around 10 billion euros may remain unused, including funds from Italy and Hungary that have not yet signed agreements for their full allocations.