By Middle Corridor

Copyright trend

BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 10. The European
Commission has allocated funds under the new “Security Action for
Europe” (SAFE) instrument, aimed at strengthening the defense
capabilities of EU member states, Trend reports citing the Ministry of National
Defense of Lithuania.

Lithuania has been allocated 6.375 billion euros. This exceeds
the minimum requested amount of 5 billion euros indicated in the
application submitted by the Ministry of National Defense.

“New NATO commitments require not only the largest investments
in the development of our capabilities but also their faster
readiness. Our main goal is to fully prepare Lithuania’s Land
Forces division by 2030, equipping it with combat, support, and
logistics systems, as well as the necessary ammunition reserves.
This requires additional financial resources, and one of the most
attractive tools to achieve this goal is the SAFE mechanism created
by the European Commission, whose conditions are particularly
favorable for Lithuania,” said Deputy Minister of National Defense
Karolis Aleksa.

Lithuania plans to use SAFE funds to accelerate the development
of its defense capabilities. The funds will be directed to the Land
Forces division, the Baltic Defense Line – counter-mobility
measures and mines – as well as the maintenance and development of
other Lithuanian Armed Forces capabilities.

Lithuania also plans to allocate part of the SAFE funds to
support Ukraine. Various measures are planned – joint procurements
with Ukraine, military equipment purchases from Ukraine or EU
suppliers for Ukraine’s needs.

SAFE is a temporary loan instrument created by the European
Commission, operating until the end of 2030, with a total capacity
of up to 150 billion euros. The instrument will enable EU member
states to carry out joint defense procurements in priority areas,
from ammunition and land forces capabilities to air defense
systems, naval forces, cyber, space technologies, and artificial
intelligence.