The Ministry of Defence has welcomed the approval by the European Commission of Cyprus’ plan for the SAFE (Security Action for Europe) Regulation, stressing that its successful participation confirms the commitment of the Ministry to upgrade, strengthen and expand the capabilities of the National Guard.
In a press release, the Ministry says that the European Commission approved on January 15, the investment plan of the Republic of Cyprus, amounting to 1.18 billion euro, in the framework of the implementation of the SAFE Regulation. The investment project is among the first 8, which were approved with the first batch, while the remaining 11 are expected to be approved in the next period with the second and third batch.
It notes that based on the provisions of the SAFE Regulation, the European Commission will directly forward to the Council proposals for executive decisions, separately for each country. The Council must then proceed with the adoption of these decisions within four weeks and immediately after, the lending agreement should be concluded, while at the same time, the necessary implementation processes of the Programs included in the investment plan are carried out at an intensive pace.
“The successful participation in the SAFE Regulation confirms the commitment of the Ministry of Defence to upgrade, strengthen and expand the capabilities of the National Guard in order to further strengthen the defence and deterrent power of the Republic of Cyprus” it is noted.
The Ministry of Defence says that it will continue to make every effort both to continue the work related to the implementation of the SAFE Regulation, and to strengthen the defence capacity of the Republic of Cyprus.