On Friday 28 November 2025, the UK and EU failed to reach an agreement on the UK’s participation in the €150 billion Security Action for Europe (SAFE) fund.
As it currently stands, the UK will only participate on a third country basis, which does not match up to the welcome ambition set by the May 2025 UK-EU reset.
Read our full statement from ADS CEO, Kevin Craven below:
We are disappointed by the news that the UK and EU have failed to reach an agreement on the UK’s participation in the €150 billion Security Action for Europe (SAFE) fund, particularly in the wake of a lacklustre week domestically.
Noting that the UK will still be able to access the funding on third country terms, this does not represent the scale of the potential presented by SAFE or the long history of UK-EU collaboration across supply chains.
As a result, this lost opportunity for the UK’s defence and security supply chain is a frustrating setback after the successful reset of UK-EU relations in May 2025, especially at a time when stability and investment in European defence is needed most.
Industry has worked hard with the UK Government to get these negotiations over the line and we remain hopeful that something can be salvaged as we move into next year. European security will only be secured through effective industrial collaboration that meaningfully delivers on the spirit of the May 2025 reset.
