To enhance security and increase the EU’s deterrent capacity, Member States must be able to rapidly move large quantities of troops and equipment across the Union. This means there should be specific rules for cross-border military mobility, preferably without excessive administrative hassle.
Currently, member states have their own rules and requirements, which make troop movements complex and cumbersome. This should be faster and easier. For example, there will be a single uniform European version of essential forms.
Battle against bureaucracy
Today, it takes up to 45 days to obtain diplomatic permission for military transport to a neighbouring country. From now on, this must be possible within three days at the latest. These and other rules must be implemented by 2027, the European Commission says. The first battle the Commission has to fight is against its own European bureaucracy.
Infrastructure also needs to be reassessed. Bridges, tunnels, tracks, and roads need to be adapted to accommodate the transport of heavy equipment. Member States are required to protect better their critical infrastructure, such as airports, ports, and rail tracks, against, for example, drones or attacks on the railways.
The EU and industry must accelerate the development of new technologies, the adoption of advanced technologies in military capabilities, and the increase in production capacity. Is Europe really preparing for war? No one wants to say so explicitly. But Monday’s attack on Polish rail infrastructure shows what awaits us. Our critical infrastructure must be better protected.
Drones are top of mind
“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has shown how quickly defense technologies are evolving. Innovations such as AI, quantum systems, drones, and space technologies are transforming the battlefield,” the Commission explained. Drones, for instance, are top of mind, both in their development and in defense against them.
On Tuesday, November 19th, eight European countries signed a declaration of intent in Brussels, officially establishing the Central Northern European Military Mobility Area (CNE MMA), a regional association designed to simplify and speed up the movement of troops and military equipment across borders within the EU.
Eight EU countries
The eight countries participating in it are Belgium, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. The initiative was launched on the basis of the so-called ‘military mobility corridor’ created in January 2024 by the Netherlands, Germany, and Poland.
Within the framework of the CNE MMA, the countries agreed to “simplify and harmonize” military transport procedures, improve infrastructure, and expand information exchange. “Further harmonization should lead to the emergence of a kind of ‘military Schengen’,” Lieutenant Colonel Harold Hummel, a Dutch military mobility staff officer, said.
The CNE MMA should be considered ” a model for future regional initiatives and a potential contribution to the creation of a pan-European military mobility area,” the Dutch Defense Ministry concluded.
