Bulgaria will request between 2.74 and 3.06 billion euros under the SAFE mechanism, said Atanas Zapryanov

BLAHOGEVGRAD – Bulgaria will request between 2.74 and 3.06 billion euros through the European Union (EU) mechanism “Measures for the Security of Europe” (SAFE). This was announced by the Bulgarian Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov.

On Wednesday, the Bulgarian government approved a draft application for the country’s interest in the form of a loan under SAFE, aimed at urgent and large-scale public investments in support of the European defense industry. The government information service informed that the aid is intended for the financial provision of the implementation of priority military capabilities necessary to ensure national and allied security in the context of our country’s participation in NATO’s collective defense system and the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) of the European Union. 

By July 29, we must declare a minimum and maximum value of the desired financial resources under the SAFE mechanism, said Minister Zapryanov. According to him, the loan has extremely favorable conditions – with symbolic interest rates, a 10-year grace period, and 35 years for repayment, totaling 45 years, and the supplies will be VAT-free. A total of 150 billion euros have been allocated under the mechanism, and each EU member state can apply, Zapryanov recalled. He pointed out that the European Commission (EC) will be the arbiter of how the funds will be distributed among the member states.

When we receive official information about the approved amount from SAFE for Bulgaria, we will proceed to develop a national plan, which must be prepared by the end of November and sent back to the EC, Minister Zapryanov added. (24.07.2025)