Tanks on the border with Russia in six hours?

The so-called "Military Schengen" aims to drastically improve military mobility across the EU, reports Euronews, as cited by the Croatian portal Index.

Military Schengen for faster defense

"Today, to move military equipment and troops, for example from west to east, it unfortunately takes months," said Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism.

"What we want to achieve is for this to happen within a few days. You cannot defend a continent if you cannot move across it," he stated at a press conference.

"It is very clear, so we are creating this Military Schengen," added the senior European official.

The military mobility package, which will be officially presented today, is the latest in a series of Commission plans to strengthen EU defense by the end of the decade. This timeline is mentioned because some intelligence agencies believe that Russia could have the capacity to attack another European country by then.

New system modeled on civil protection

One key measure will be speeding up the issuance of permits for cross-border military mobility.

Currently, rules in the 27 member states are not harmonized, and some countries take weeks to respond to a request from another EU country. The Commission now wants to shorten this period to a maximum of three days in peacetime and only six hours in crisis situations, with approval being automatic in the latter case.

The plan envisions a new European system for military mobility, modeled on the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which enables rapid disaster response.

It will include a "Military Mobility Solidarity Fund," through which member states can make assets like freight trains or ferries available, as well as a "Military Mobility Catalogue" listing dual-use assets from the civilian sector that can be used for military operations.

Investing in key infrastructure

All activities will be coordinated by a new working group composed of national coordinators from each member state.

Their task will also be prioritizing funding for 500 selected infrastructure projects critical for improving four agreed military corridors, whose locations remain secret.

The goal is to upgrade roads, railways, ports, airports, tunnels, and bridges so they can withstand the weight and size of military equipment.

"Strong logistical networks make the difference between victory and defeat in wars," emphasized Tzitzikostas, adding that the focus is on short-term investments with quick gains to rapidly increase capacity.