Overview
- Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius told ministers that negotiations with Ottawa had concluded, confirming Canada’s entry into the scheme.
- Accession grants Ottawa access to jointly financed defense projects and lets Canadian companies bid on EU-backed joint procurement.
- Third-country participation is typically capped at 35 percent of a system’s value, but Canada can exceed that share by paying a fee calibrated to expected benefits.
- The agreement addresses intellectual property controls and limits on non‑EU inputs for sensitive systems such as drones, missile-defense assets and strategic enablers.
- SAFE moves into implementation as all 19 participating EU countries submit spending plans, with 15 including support for Ukraine measured in billions, while U.K. talks collapsed late last week.