Brussels: The European Commission opened the second SAFE call on 29 October 2026, inviting all member states to claim a share of 21.3 billion euros in defence loans. The second SAFE call asks governments to submit target amounts and to use part of the money for cooperation with Ukraine, according to the Commission’s defence industry announcement.

SAFE, the Security Action for Europe instrument, is a core part of the Readiness 2030 drive. It rests on the 150 billion euros in long-maturity loans adopted in May 2025. The second SAFE call therefore reuses an existing financial envelope and does not create new money, which keeps the decision in the hands of national treasuries rather than the EU budget.

The Commission wants the money to meet urgent needs. It tells member states to prioritise air and missile defence systems, drones and counter-drone systems, and ammunition and missiles, both for their own forces and for Ukraine. It also encourages them to write common procurement with Ukraine into their national investment plans.

The timetable is short. The Commission says it will give tentative allocations within two weeks after the submission deadline, but the page does not state that deadline, so planners in capitals must check the formal call documents. The lack of a split between domestic readiness and Ukraine support also leaves each government free to set its own balance.

The first round gives a track record to judge the second SAFE call. All 19 member states that chose to take part have had their loan agreements approved. The Commission has signed agreements with 16 of them and has paid out almost 13.5 billion euros to 11 countries that asked for prefinancing. Those figures show how quickly the Commission can move cash once a plan is accepted.

Pressure on the budget makes that speed important. In November 2025, member states submitted defence industry plans, and some asked for less than the amounts first agreed. A new round lets those governments revisit their appetite after a year in which air defence and drone shortages stayed in the headlines.

Cooperation with Ukraine is the political hook. Joint buying can lower unit prices and widen the production base, yet it also binds national procurement offices to a partner at war. The second SAFE call does not oblige anyone to buy with Kyiv, so the real outcome will appear only when the target amounts and project lists arrive in Brussels.

Defence ministers and finance ministries will watch two numbers: how much of the 21.3 billion euros governments request, and how much of it goes into joint projects. High take-up would show that cheap, long-dated loans still attract capitals in 2026. A weak response would raise questions about whether the EU needs grants and common debt instead.

For now, the second SAFE call puts the next move with the member states. Once the submission window closes and the Commission publishes tentative allocations within two weeks, the first firm picture of how Europe will spend 21.3 billion euros on defence readiness and Ukraine support will emerge.