Greece has signed an agreement to join the European Union's SAFE defense funding program, EU Defense and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius has announced in a move that will channel European funds into Greek military surveillance, secure communications and counter-drone technology.
Mr. Kubilius announced the agreement on X, describing it as a milestone for the Security Action for Europe initiative and for broader European security efforts.
Under the agreement, Greece will receive investment support to strengthen its defense capabilities in the Mediterranean, with funding directed at three priority areas: strategic surveillance systems, encrypted communications infrastructure and technologies designed to neutralize unmanned aerial threats.
The deal comes as Greece has been accelerating defense modernization on multiple fronts, driven by persistent tensions with Turkey in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean and the broader European push to reduce reliance on U.S. security guarantees following shifting signals from Washington on NATO commitments.
Athens already spends among the highest proportions of GDP on defense in the alliance.
The SAFE program, part of the EU's stepped-up response to the security environment created by Russia's war in Ukraine, is designed to pool European defense investment and reduce fragmentation across member states' military procurement.