The EU wants to accelerate the movement of NATO equipment and troops

Europe is accelerating its work on the largest military equipment movement programme in history. The European Commission intends to allocate EUR 17 billion to upgrading infrastructure and Poland can become 1 of the main beneficiaries. It is not only the modernisation of roads, bridges and airports, but besides the pace at which NATO troops can travel across the continent.

– I'm working on a very crucial task on the military of mobility, which is everything we're going to build or renovate, so that in the event of a war, we can decision the military so that it can pass through dense equipment. At the moment, there is EUR 17 billion in the fresh draft budget, which is rather large money and Poland could be their main beneficiary “In a conversation with Newseria Dariusz Joński, Euro MP of the Civic Coalition.

The Military Mobility Package aims to address existing infrastructure bottlenecks, procedural obstacles and capacity gaps. It is part of a broader effort to strengthen the EU's defence readiness.

Data from the European Commission show that the movement of military troops and equipment across Europe is inactive besides difficult, as confirmed by exercises with associate States. In 2024, only half of the associate States full fulfilled their transit work within 5 working days. The European Union has identified more than 500 "hot points" of infrastructure, with investment needs estimated at around €100 billion. They should be given precedence to remove key gaps and bottlenecks in the 4 precedence corridors of military mobility. The east flank is peculiarly vulnerable, where there are no continuous and interoperable trans-European transport networks.

To accelerate progress, an ambitious military mobility package will be presented in November. It will include proposals to establish a uniform regulatory framework to facilitate the transport of equipment, goods and passengers for military or civilian protection purposes across Europe, as well as targeted changes to existing EU law to better address the requirements of military mobility for dual-use infrastructure.

– This task is not just about money, but about simplifying procedures. Because, for example, moving a tank from Portugal to Poland is simply a twelve days and there is this tank on all border, due to the fact that the procedures present are specified that it actually takes quite a few days, it is hard to find a driver who agrees to carry it, due to the fact that in fact it must stand on all border – explains the Euro MP.

In its assessments of 2024, the EC points out that the deficiency of uniform rules on military transit, the distributed work between national ministries and the deficiency of interoperable digital systems lead to delays that allied exercises have repeatedly revealed in practice. Therefore, the Military Mobility Legislative Package plans to introduce a single set of forms, standardised procedures and harmonised rules for the transport of dangerous goods.

The EC data besides show that the task is to be closely linked to the CEF Transport instrument, which already funds the dual usage infrastructure. The Commission stresses that each associate State will gotta adapt the modernised roads, bridges, ports and airports to meet military mobility requirements.

– At the moment, the work is underway, and I think that by December, at an express pace, we will be able to prepare a task that will be submitted for the vote. On the 1 hand, this money needs to be well planned, and on the another hand, it is about simplifying procedures at all level, from the automotive, chemical, ceramic, steel, metal, to the military mobility – says Dariusz Joński.

The analyses of the Boston Consulting Group consistently indicate the increasing function of resilient and dual-use infrastructure. The BCG points out that in Europe 1 of the main investment constraints is the long-term preparation and authorisation processes, which extend the start of projects for up to respective years. Experts stress that harmonisation of regulations, simplification of administrative procedures and introduction of uniform standards bring real economical benefits, improving the capacity and reliability of key supply chains.

At the same time, the BCG points out that investments in dual-use infrastructure are most efficient where they combine civilian and military objectives. This is peculiarly actual of the EU's east flank, where economic, logistical and strategical needs are imposed, and the resilient infrastructure is of direct importance for the defence capacity of the full region.

– No 1 has thought about it before, 20, 30, even 10 years ago, that there will be a war again, that 1 must think about moving equipment and troops, that between countries there should be a fast exchange and a decision in minutes, not hours or even days, as it is at the moment. So it seems to me that today, under the slogan of simplification, bureaucracy does not push small, large companies and that you can rapidly decision the equipment you need – emphasises the Euro MP of the Civic Coalition.