EU addressing military mobility challenges

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

To improve the movement of military troops, equipment and assets across the European Union and beyond, the European Commission and the EU’s High Representative, have started discussions with stakeholders to develop a Military Mobility Package.

This package will address existing infrastructure bottlenecks, procedural obstacles, and capability gaps. It forms part of broader efforts to strengthen the EU’s defence readiness, following the publication of the Joint White Paper for European Defence Readiness 2030.

The package is expected to present strategic objectives, harmonise national procedures and enhance infrastructure resilience. These measures will streamline military movements across Europe while integrating military needs with broader EU policies such as transport, energy, and taxation. For this purpose, the Commission will propose a joint communication, a regulation and amendments to existing EU laws.

The initiative reflects the Commission and the European External Action Service’s (EEAS) commitment to working with EU Member States to advance military mobility through investments and policy reforms.

Next Steps

The Commission opened today a call for evidence and launched a targeted stakeholder consultation from mid-June to end-August 2025. This initiative will engage a wide array of stakeholders, including Member States, the European Defence Agency, PESCO, NATO, industry associations in defence, transport, and energy sectors, transport infrastructure managers, finance sectors, civil society, research organisations, and think tanks. The consultation process includes an EU survey (open until the end of July), submission of research and position papers, and bilateral meetings, all aimed at shaping the Military Mobility Package.

Background

Military mobility, defined as the capability of Member States’ armed forces to swiftly move troops and equipment across the EU, is vital for European security and defence, particularly in the context of supporting Ukraine. Progress since the 2018 Action Plan and subsequent Military Mobility 2.0 from November 2022 underscores ongoing efforts to address regulatory, infrastructural, and capability barriers, which continue to impede seamless military movement.

Despite solid achievements under the EDA and PESCO project military mobility frameworks, the 1.7 billion EUR support to dual use infrastructure projects from Connecting Europe Facility under the current multi-annual financial framework though 95 projects in 21 Member States, notable obstacles persist, necessitating the current push for an enhanced approach to military mobility building on these efforts. The Military Mobility Pledge of May 2024 and the European Court of Auditors’ recommendations from February 2025 further emphasize the EU’s dedication to overcoming these challenges to improve military mobility and reinforce European defence readiness.