The bloc’s infrastructure is not yet ready for the rapid mobility of military and equipment across the continent. An investment of 70 billion euros is needed to urgently make it fit for purpose, the EU’s defence commissioner told Euronews in an exclusive interview.
The EU will need an initial investment of €70 billion to urgently adapt rail, road, sea and air corridors to facilitate the rapid movement of troops and equipment across the bloc in the event of conflict, EU Defence and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius told Euronews.
The European Commission has already identified 500 hotspot projects – including expanding ports and airports, widening tunnels and strengthening railway bridges – that need to be upgraded for rapid and large-scale movement of personnel and equipment within the EU and to partner countries.
“We need to develop that infrastructure according to NATO planning. Then we need to see also the need to establish a very effective defence or protection of those strategically important infrastructure points, and in addition to that, we need to look into legal requirements,” the former Lithuanian prime minister said.
Military mobility is not only the availability of defence equipment and troops, but also the ability to mobilise them quickly to deter any potential attacker.
Bureaucracy, unharmonised procedures and lack of adequate infrastructure currently hamper the ability of the armed forces of the EU and its allies to effectively defend themselves in the future against any potential aggression. For example, tanks from one EU member state have been denied passage through the territory of another due to exceeding weight limits set by road traffic regulations, according to a recent report by the EU’s financial watchdog.
The idea of a Schengen zone for the military has been mooted for a decade, but it has gained new momentum since the outbreak of the military conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, especially now that the EU is rearming and building up its defence capabilities.
“When the war comes, you need to have your industry developed on a high level in order to maintain, repair, and produce new weapons. And you also need to have such an industry not far away from a possible conflict zone,” Kubilius argued.
To accelerate Europe’s independent deterrence and support for Ukraine, the bloc and its member states will have to “immediately simplify and streamline rules and procedures and ensure priority access of armed forces to vehicles, networks and assets,” according to a white paper on defence preparedness published last week.
EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas and Kubilius will review all existing laws affecting the mobility of armed forces, map and modernise all necessary critical transport infrastructure and adopt a joint communication on the issue later this year.
