EU Drafts Plan for "Military Schengen" to Expedite Troop Movement
A document released Wednesday reveals the bloc's objective to establish an EU-wide military mobility area by 2027, aiming to eliminate bureaucratic obstacles, implement standardized redeployment protocols, and guarantee priority access for armed forces during crisis situations.
EU officials also aim to "upgrade key EU military mobility corridors to dual-use standards" and defend strategic infrastructure. According to media, the initiative includes creating a "solidarity pool" where EU members can choose to provide special military transport capabilities to states that don't have them.
The proposal emerges against a backdrop of persistent logistical challenges. Media has said 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 the time down to three to five 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 the bloc would have to spend at least €17 billion ($20 billion) to rectify this.
Multiple EU officials have recently speculated that Russia could launch a direct assault on the bloc within several years. Moscow has dismissed these assertions, calling them "nonsense."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has also denounced the bloc's "militarization," warning that increased defense expenditure is destroying the economies of member states.
Moscow has labeled NATO as an "enemy," citing the military assistance it provides to Ukraine.
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