European Union defense ministers on Wednesday approved national investment plans from eight member states totaling €38 billion, clearing the way for the first disbursements under the bloc’s €150 billion Security Action for Europe (SAFE) program.

The officials also adopted a decision authorising the EU to sign the bilateral agreement between the EU and Canada on the participation of Canadian companies and products originating from Canada in procurement under the SAFE Instrument.

...

SAFE is an EU financial instrument supporting member states that wish to invest in defence industrial production through common procurement, focusing on priority capabilities ... boosting production capacity, ensuring the timely availability of defence equipment, and addressing existing capability gaps.

Canada will be the first non-European country to participate in the SAFE instrument.

...

top 8 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] Gyangrene@piefed.ca 16 points 2 days ago (1 children)

We love to see the wheels of change turning. It's a first step in what I hope will be a turning point for Canada-EU defence capabilities.

[–] maplesaga@lemmy.world -5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Just as Trump wanted. The military industrial complex has convinced the left wing to buy weapons.

[–] Canucker@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I think it has perhaps backfired that those countries are also planning domestic production and non-US sourcing. Sucks to be an arms dealer trying to subsidize your military industrial complex only to have your customers spend coin elsewhere.

[–] AGM@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago

This is at US instruction. Go back and listen to Hegseth's speech a year ago. Read the strategic documents around burden sharing. The US identified their own lack of sufficient industrial capacity to produce enough arms for war on all the fronts they plan to fight on, so they have pushed for Europe and Canada to revitalize their defense industries. The US essentially needs vassals to arm themselves to be the frontlines that get expended while the US retains more of its own capacity so they end up on top in the end.

[–] Scotty@scribe.disroot.org 2 points 1 day ago

This.

The so-called 'de-risking' was invented particularly for China, now we can apply it also to the US.

[–] Smaile@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Lol, if you think we're buying American then you really are as dumb as orange man.

[–] systemglitch@lemmy.world 14 points 2 days ago

Good. Fuck America.

[–] Sunshine@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 day ago

We need advanced defense equipment to keep out american fascists.