Bridges and roads against Putin: the EU wants to create a military 'Schengen area'

BrusselsNew measure from Brussels for to enhance the coordination and unification of the armed forces of all the Member States of the European Union. The European Commission has presented a legal reform to create a kind of free movement and mobility area for soldiers and military vehicles throughout the EU territory, which it has dubbed a Schengen area Military. The goal is to increase the military capacity of European allies in the face of the threat posed by the expansionism of Vladimir Putin's regime. "Infantry wins battles, logistics wins wars," said European Commissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius at a press conference.

The European Commission's proposal is that requests for military mobility from one EU country to another should be processed within a maximum of three days, and in emergency cases, they could be accepted even faster and with priority. According to the newspaper Financial TimesCurrently, some European partners can take up to 45 days to accept these types of requests.

The European Commission also proposes unifying all procedures and regulations across the EU for requesting the mobility of armed forces within the territory of another member state. Furthermore, Brussels wants to create an alert system at the EU level so that, internally, European institutions and EU allies can be aware of ongoing movements, as well as to improve coordination between the national authorities responsible for military mobility in their respective European partners.

Another of the European Commission's most significant measures is the creation of a kind of dual-use resource pool, for both civilian and military use, at the EU level. This would be similar to a mutual aid system in the event of climate emergencies such as floods, fires, or droughts. However, contributions would be voluntary, and therefore member states would not be obligated to provide resources such as trucks, tanks, or helicopters.

In any case, this is a proposal presented by the European Commission that would not come into effect until 2027. Furthermore, it must first be negotiated and approved by the Council of the EU, the body representing the member states, and the European Parliament. It's worth remembering that anything that involves better coordination between militaries and ceding military sovereignty always generates reluctance among national governments, since defense is one of the powers that member states guard most fiercely.

More infrastructure

Brussels also proposes allocating €17.65 billion from the upcoming 2028-2034 European budget, which is still under negotiation and approval, to finance the construction and improvement of 500 infrastructure projects, such as bridges, tunnels, roads, airports, and ports. Both the EU and NATO have long insisted that improved connectivity can enhance military mobility and, therefore, the European bloc's defense capabilities against the Kremlin's expansionism.

In fact, at the last NATO summit, the Atlantic allies They have already agreed to spend 3.5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) in traditional defense resources, such as tanks, soldiers, and missiles, and an additional 1.5% in areas more related to mobility, cybersecurity, and border control. Thus, the investments Brussels wants to promote would fall into this second category, contributing to meeting the spending targets for the Atlantic Alliance demanded by Donald Trump.

Furthermore, the European Commission has also announced its intention to continue strengthening the union and boosting the European defense industry, which, as the Commission itself admits, cannot currently handle all the weapons production for the EU's major rearmament program. In this regard, Brussels advocates for improved data and information sharing on technological advancements that may have military applications, especially in the field of cybersecurity or any emerging technology.