18 countries apply for EU billions as Europe seeks to provide for own security without US
The fund was launched after the Trump administration signaled that Europe is no longer a U.S. security priority. It's for buying key equipment like air and missile defense systems, artillery, ammunition, drones and "strategic enablers' like air-to-air refueling. The European Commission said that Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Spain had applied for money so far.
They have requested at least 127 billion euros ($147 billion) in total, it said. Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Tuesday that his government has identified defense projects worth around 45 billion euros ($52 billion), but that the amount it receives will depend on how the commission allocates funds. Countries using the fund are urged to buy much of their military equipment in Europe, working mostly with European suppliers - in some cases with EU help to cut prices and speed up orders.
Earlier this month, 15 EU countries were also permitted to use a "national escape clause' to allow them to spend more on defense without breaking the bloc's debt rules. US allies in Europe are convinced that President Vladimir Putin could target one of them if Russia wins its war on Ukraine. The SAFE fund and budget leniency are aimed at preparing Europe to defend itself from attack by the end of the decade, but even EU governments concede that this is an ambitious target.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab Times
31 minutes ago
- Arab Times
Mali's ex-PM arrested for supporting jailed critics of ruling military junta
BAMAKO, Mali, Aug 2, (AP): Mali's former prime minister was taken into pretrial detention on Friday after expressing solidarity in a media post with jailed critics of the military junta ruling the West African country, his lawyer and a close associate said. Moussa Mara's arrest is the latest in a crackdown on dissent by Mali's military rulers following the country's first pro-democracy rally since soldiers seized power nearly four years ago. Abdoulaye Yaro, a close associate of the former prime minister, told The Associated Press that Mara was arrested after a cybercrime prosecutor ordered his detention pending trial for expressing compassion for people jailed for political beliefs. A member of the cybercrime unit said Mara has been accused of "damaging the state's credibility' and that his trial would start on Sept 29, 2025. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Mara's lawyer Mountaga Tall said on X that the former prime minister faces charges including undermining state authority, inciting public disorder, and spreading false information. Mara's legal team is contesting the charges and detention, Tall said. On July 4, Mara posted on X that he had visited jailed critics of the military junta. "As long as the night lasts, the sun will obviously appear!' he wrote and added, "We will fight by all means for this to happen as soon as possible!' Mali, a landlocked nation in Africa's semiarid Sahel region on the southern fringe of the Sahara desert, has been embroiled in political instability that swept across West and Central Africa over the last decade. Since orchestrating two coups in 2020 and 2021, Gen. Assimi Goita has led Mali. In June, he was granted an additional five years in power, despite the junta's earlier promises of a return to civilian rule by March 2024. The move followed the military regime's dissolution of political parties in May.
Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Kuwait Times
Trump blasts India and Russia as ‘dead economies'
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump labeled Russia and US ally India 'dead economies,' indicating that his threat to ramp up tariffs on New Delhi will now go ahead. In a social media post sent at midnight Wednesday, Trump said 'I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.' 'We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World. Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let's keep it that way,' he added. The statement on Truth Social followed Trump's announcement Wednesday that India will face 25 percent tariffs, while also announcing an unspecified 'penalty' over New Delhi's purchases of Russian weapons and energy. Trump, 79, said the tariffs would kick in on Friday. He gave no indication in either announcement about what penalties would be imposed for India's continued trade with Russia, which is under massive US and Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine. On Tuesday, Trump had said the United States will impose further sanctions on Russia in 10 days—which would be the end of next week—if it does not make moves to end the three-year war. He has previously threatened that new measures could mean 'secondary tariffs' targeting Russia's remaining trade partners, such as China and India. This would further stifle Russia, but would risk significant international disruption. The warning was mocked by Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president and key ally to current leader Vladimir Putin, who responded that Trump was issuing a 'theatrical ultimatum' and that 'each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war.' In Wednesday's midnight post, the US president slammed Medvedev, calling him 'the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he's still President, to watch his words.' 'He's entering very dangerous territory!' Trump warned. The 25 percent tariff on India would be marginally lower than the rate announced in April, but is higher than those of other Asian countries that have struck preliminary trade agreements with Washington. India, the world's most populous country, was one of the first few major economies to engage the Trump administration in broader trade talks. But six months later, Trump's sweeping demands and India's reluctance to fully open its agricultural and dairy sectors have so far prevented New Delhi from sealing a deal. — AFP
Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Kuwait Times
Tariffs are making US ‘great & rich' again, says Trump
US takes in $87 billion from tariffs in H1 2025 WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Thursday that the sweeping tariffs he has imposed on nations around the world were making the country 'great & rich again' as governments raced to strike deals with Washington less than 24 hours before an August 1 deadline. 'Tariffs are making America GREAT & RICH Again,' he wrote on his Truth Social platform. 'ONE YEAR AGO, AMERICA WAS A DEAD COUNTRY, NOW IT IS THE 'HOTTEST' COUNTRY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD,' he added. A day earlier, the US President imposed new tariffs to punish or favor several major trading partners—the latest round of sweeping measures that have roiled markets around the world. South Korea squeezed in at the last moment, securing agreement on a 15 percent tariff for exports to the United States—significantly below the 25 percent that Trump had earlier threatened to introduce. But Trump also announced crippling 50 percent tariffs on Brazil and a 25 percent levy on Indian exports, while warning Canada it would face trade repercussions for planning to recognize a Palestinian state. The 15 percent rate on Seoul—Washington's key security ally—was equivalent to levies determined from US trade deals with Japan and the European Union. MUMBAI: A broadcast screen of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) is pictured in Mumbai on July 31, 2025, which shows India's exports with Russia while depicting news of US President Donald Trump unveiling sweeping new trade tariffs. -- AFP He added that South Korea had committed to investing $350 billion in the United States, as well as the purchase of '$100 billion worth' of liquefied natural gas (LNG) or other energy sources. Seoul's presidential office said tariffs on automobiles—one of Seoul's key exports—would also stay at 15 percent. Trump hit Brazil with high tariffs as well as sanctions against the judge overseeing a trial of his far-right ally Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of attempting a coup in Latin America's biggest economy. But he delayed its implementation from Friday to August 6, and crucially exempted many products from the prohibitive levy, including orange juice, civil aircraft, iron ore and some energy products. The United States took in more revenue from tariffs in the first six months of 2025 than it did in all of 2024, according to data from the US Treasury compiled by AFP. The more than $87 billion in tariff revenue taken in through the end of June, compared with $79 billion collected in all of 2024, according to the latest monthly data published on Wednesday. Since his return to the White House US President Donald Trump tore up the US post-WWII economic policy playbook of favoring free trade, slapping tariffs on trading partners and on certain products like steel. The US has subsequently reached deals with a number of countries that will see considerably higher tariffs apply than were in place, but for the most part also considerably lower than the highest rates that Trump threatened to impose. The previous peak in tariffs was recorded in 2022 at $98 billion. In June, tariff revenue came in at $26.6 billion, almost four times the amount collected in January. Trump said Thursday that sweeping tariffs he has imposed on nations around the world were making the country 'great & rich again' as governments raced to strike deals with Washington less than 24 hours before an August 1 deadline.-AFP
