Another Step in Defence Capability Development
Text: honvedelem.hu | Photo: archive photos of Dávid Fabók | 12:42 November 12, 2026“The European Union provides a very favourable loan to the Member States to develop their defence industry and defence capabilities,” said Defence Minister Dr Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi in a video posted on his social media page on November 11, referring to the SAFE loan.
The Defence Minister highlighted that “the way we develop the armed forces is decided not on political but rather on professional grounds. In the so-called ‘basement plan’ (the country’s armed defence plan), the military determined what the Hungarian Defence Forces already have at their disposal and what is still required. We have revisited this, re-evaluated it, and established a new order of priorities. This led to the €5.4 billion SAFE loan, which we plan to utilise by 2030.”
“The country’s armed defence plan, which the military draws up in the basement, forms part of the national defence plan. Other ministries also have a place, a role and, indeed, a duty in the country’s defence. That is why it appears that we can allocate around 15 per cent of this 5.4 billion to defence expenditure in the broader sense,” added the minister.
On October 28, the European Commission approved Hungary’s €5.4 billion plan under the European Union’s SAFE (Security Action for Europe) defence loan program, and the Hungarian plan will now be submitted to the Council, which comprises the EU Member States, for approval.
SAFE is the European Union’s €150 billion defence loan program, which supports Member States’ defence investments and joint procurement through preferential, long-term loans, with the aim of strengthening European defence capabilities.
