Poland, Lithuania first to sign 50 billion euro-plus EU defence loans, von der Leyen says

​European Commission President ​Ursula von der ‌Leyen said ​on Thursday that Poland and Lithuania ‌would be the first countries to sign SAFE loan agreements over the next ‌two days.

"These two plans alone ‌are over 50 billion euros, to close critical capability gaps and keep our ⁠Eastern ​flank ⁠safe," she said on social media platform X.

Under ⁠the SAFE (Security Action for Europe) ​scheme, the EU jointly borrowed money on ⁠the market to lend on at ⁠cost ​to EU governments for their defence projects. For most countries ⁠that do not have a AAA credit ⁠rating - ⁠which the EU does - this means major savings.