EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Dzidzikostas has warned that Europe’s roads, bridges and railways are unfit for rapid deployment of tanks and heavy armor, with weak bridges and narrow tunnels forcing detours that can delay forces for weeks.
The proposal would give armed forces priority access to infrastructure and transport assets in emergencies, create unified rules for cross-border military transport permits and set up a “solidarity pool” through which states could share military transport capacity.
Complex and divergent national rules also slow movements. Tomasz Lachowicz, a civilian adviser to NATO’s Transport Group, said current procedures require applications 60 days before international and 30 days before domestic moves, calling these timelines inadequate and urging harmonized, digital customs and permitting systems.
The Commission plans to earmark EUR 17 billion to modernize infrastructure, though the transport sector fears EU budget talks could slash that sum, as a previous EUR 6.5 billion proposal was cut to 1.6 billion.
The plan covers 500 projects along four military transport corridors, aiming to allow forces to move from west to east in tens of hours or a few days instead of weeks.
(jh)
Source: PAP