(London, 2nd) British Prime Minister Starmer said that the UK should "do more" regarding joint defense with the European Union and indicated that he was considering applying to join the EU's proposed second phase of its multi-billion-euro defense project fund. This week, members of his cabinet will hold talks with their EU counterparts.
According to comprehensive reports from Reuters, Bloomberg, and AFP, amid rising concerns about Russia and doubts over the US Trump administration's commitment to European security, the European Commission is considering launching the second phase of the "Security Assistance Fund" (abbreviated as the SAFE fund).
Last week, during his visit to China, Starmer was asked whether the UK would seek to join the new version of the SAFE initiative, and he stated that Europe needed to step up its rearmament efforts.
Starmer said that although the UK failed in its application last year, the UK government is still seeking to join this flagship EU defense program.
Starmer said that although the UK failed in its application last year, the UK government is still seeking to join this flagship EU defense program.
Starmer said: "Whether it’s SAFE or other initiatives, for Europe—including the EU and other European countries—strengthening cooperation is the wise thing to do. That’s what I have always advocated, and I hope to make some progress in this regard."
Starmer's comments were released on Sunday (February 1st).
The SAFE fund is a financial instrument aimed at strengthening European defense capabilities, supporting joint procurement of weapons systems and infrastructure, as part of the "European Rearmament" plan.
Starmer's comments were released on Sunday (February 1st).
The SAFE fund is a financial instrument aimed at strengthening European defense capabilities, supporting joint procurement of weapons systems and infrastructure, as part of the "European Rearmament" plan.
The initial size of this EU flagship fund is as much as 150 billion euros (about 178 billion US dollars).
The UK applied to join last year, but the European Commission once demanded a membership fee as high as 6.75 billion euros, which the UK deemed unacceptable. The EU rejected the UK’s application in November last year.