Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas on Monday hailed the Council of the European Union’s adoption of an agreement with Canada, which will allow for Canadian companies and products to be involved in procurement under the EU’s €150 billion Security Action for Europe (Safe) defence programme.

“Canada is one of the European Union’s closest allies. Having Canada joining Safe highlights the deep trust between us and sets a strong precedent for how the EU can collaborate with key strategic partners to safeguard our collective future,” he said.

In concluding the agreement, Canada has become the first non-European country to participate in the Safe programme, with the European Parliament having ratified the deal three weeks ago.

Aside from Canada, procurement under the Safe programme is open to the EU’s 27 member states, the four European Free Trade Association states – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland – and Ukraine.

Previously, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had said of the deal that “in a dangerous and divided world, Canada and Europe are elevating our defence partnerships to rapidly procure new equipment and technology, accelerate Nato targets and catalyse tremendous opportunities for our defence manufacturers”.

“Canada’s participation in Safe will fill key reliability gaps, expand markets for Canadian suppliers and attract European defence investment into Canada,” he said.

Earlier this month, the Cypriot government and the European Commission signed a loan agreement to allow Cyprus to receive over €1bn worth of funds under the Safe programme.

Cyprus was the sixth EU member state to have signed a loan agreement, with Poland, Lithuania, Croatia, Romania and Belgium all having had their own agreements signed last month.

Palmas had said previously of the funding for Cyprus that it would see the National Guard acquire military hardware to “cover [its] priorities” until 2030.

He added that the Safe programme came about “at a time when the European Union’s needs to cover shortcomings are significant”, and at a time “when the mobilisation of equipment programmes and joint procurement programmes is becoming urgent”.

“The €150bn which will be invested by member states in the joint procurement of high-tech weapons systems is expected to be the trigger for a new promising era for European defence, with the ultimate goal of autonomy, technological dominance and resilience,” he said.

With the Council of the EU’s decision on Monday, Cyprus and other EU member states will now be able to use the funds they have secured through the Safe programme to acquire Canadian military hardware.