The bloc’s officials have long complained about infrastructure unfit for moving heavy hardware to the Russian border
The EU Commission has prepared a plan for a “military Schengen” to speed the movement of troops and heavy equipment across the bloc amid a stand-off with Russia. EU officials have long warned that it would take the West weeks to mobilize forces against Moscow due to logistical and infrastructure problems.
According to the document made public on Wednesday, the bloc intends to establish a EU-wide military mobility area by 2027, seeking to cut through red tape, introduce common rules for redeployment, and provide priority access for armed forces in emergencies.
EU officials also aim to “upgrade key EU military mobility corridors to dual-use standards” and defend strategic infrastructure. According to Reuters, the idea is also to create a “solidarity pool” where EU members can choose to provide special military transport capabilities to states that don’t have them.
The plan is being launched against a backdrop of long-standing logistical problems, with the Financial Times pointing out that the EU will have to tackle “crumbling bridges, mismatched rail gauges and labyrinthine bureaucracy.” The report also noted that it would currently take around 45 days to move an army from western European ports to the Russian border, with plans to cut down this time to five or three days.
EU Transport Minister Apostolos Tzitzikostas has also warned that NATO tanks being redeployed could “get stuck in tunnels [and] cause bridges to collapse.” He said that the bloc would have to spend at least €17 billion ($20 billion) to rectify the issue.
In recent months, numerous EU officials speculated that Russia could mount a direct assault on the bloc in several years. Moscow has rejected such claims outright, dismissing them as “nonsense.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has also denounced the bloc’s “militarization,” warning that an increased defense expenditure is destroying member states’ economies.
Moscow has also branded NATO as an “enemy,” pointing to the military assistance it is sending to Ukraine.
