Italy to request full 14.9 billion euro EU defence loan, coalition divided

The announcement

On 28 July 2026, during a parliamentary hearing on the NATO summit in Ankara, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced that Italy had decided to tap the EU's SAFE facility, requesting the full 14.9 billion euros by the end of the year. The declaration, prompted by a question from Democratic Party MP Piero Fassino, marked a sharp acceleration after months of government hesitation.

“We have decided to use SAFE, requesting an intervention of 14.9 billion by the end of the year. We will formulate our proposal, then Mr Crosetto will say how to invest them in the following year.”

Immediate correction

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, who was also present, immediately tempered the announcement. He explained that SAFE is a technical financing instrument, not a source of additional spending. The government, he said, would decide by year-end how much of the pre-booked 14.9 billion to actually draw down, weighing it against alternatives such as issuing BOTs or CCTs. Using SAFE, he stressed, does not mean increasing the defence budget.

“SAFE as it has been set up is a financing instrument for military spending, not additional to what is already budgeted.”

Coalition fractures

The announcement exposed deep rifts within the ruling coalition. Lega senator Gian Marco Centinaio immediately objected, stating that spending 14.9 billion on rearmament was not in the government programme and that Parliament must have the final say. Lega MEP Roberto Vannacci added his opposition, declaring "enough with the Draghi Agenda." Fratelli d'Italia, the party of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, showed internal divisions: minister Tommaso Foti cautioned that SAFE could become a constraint, while party official Giovanni Donzelli insisted on the government's coherence. Forza Italia's Maurizio Gasparri dismissed the opposition's criticism as ridiculous, defending Tajani's clear political line.

Opposition reactions

The opposition was split. Azione, +Europa, and Italia Viva welcomed the use of SAFE but accused Tajani of backtracking after Crosetto's correction. Matteo Renzi said the government was in chaos. The Five Star Movement and the Green-Left Alliance strongly condemned the move; Giuseppe Conte said the government was mortgaging Italy's future, while Angelo Bonelli called it madness. The Democratic Party's Piero De Luca also attacked the government's disarray.

Background and next steps

The SAFE (Security Action for Europe) regulation entered into force on 29 May 2025, offering up to 150 billion euros in long-term, low-interest EU loans for joint defence procurement. Italy had been hesitant, joining only at the last minute before the 30 July 2025 deadline. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti had previously warned that using SAFE would bring bureaucratic burdens and require sharing decisions with EU partners, urging clarity before any commitment. The government must now decide by year-end how much of the 14.9 billion to actually draw down, while facing a parliamentary battle. Tensions in the majority also surfaced in the Senate, where Fratelli d'Italia reintroduced an amendment on so-called 'strascico' wiretapping to the justice and migrants decree, a move strongly opposed by Forza Italia.