Military mobility

EU Military Mobility ensures the seamless movement of military personnel, materiel and assets – including at short notice and at large scale – within and beyond the EU. With this objective, military mobility is at the heart of credible deterrence. Our aim is to create a well-connected transport network, with streamlined procedures for shorter reaction times, to increase the use of dual-purpose infrastructure, and to protect and increase the resilience of our infrastructure.

The Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated the need to ensure swift military movements to enable our armed forces to respond quickly to threats and emergencies. Currently, complex and fragmented procedures impede military movements to slow and complex planning operations. To swiftly move a military convoy into and across Member States, the EU and Member States are taking concrete steps towards harmonised rules, pre-agreed transport routes, and interoperable digital systems. 

The EU provides a vision and a platform to find joint solutions for aligning and streamlining procedures across the Union. For this, EU and Member State experts provide ideas and solutions on removing the existing barriers and enhancing Military Mobility.

The High Representative and the European Commission adopted the Military Mobility Package in November 2025: 

• It outlines a comprehensive set of measures to ensure the swift, coordinated and secure movement of military personnel and equipment across the EU;
•  It addresses barriers across regulatory, infrastructure, and capability dimensions;
• It seeks to strengthen Europe’s defence readiness. 
• With that, it represents the EU’s most ambitious step yet to pave way towards an EU-wide military mobility area, contributing to deterrence and increasing the Union’s preparedness in a rapidly changing security environment.

The Military Mobility Package consists of a Joint Communication and a Regulation proposal. These key documents build on the revised 2022 Military Mobility Action Plan 2.0 and the 2024 Military Mobility Pledge. The Package has been developed in close coordination between the European External Action Service, the European Commission, and the European Defence Agency and in consultation with relevant partners.

The efforts in military mobility are additionally supported through:

•  the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) Military Mobility project,
• Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) Network of Logistic Hubs in Europe and Support to Operations project, and 
• the European Defence Agency. 
   

Within the Military Mobility Package, the Regulation proposes a framework of measures to ensure seamless transport by removing regulatory obstacles, harmonising cross-border permissions, and ensuring resilient infrastructure and capability readiness. 
Key features of the Regulation proposal include:

• Common rules and procedures for military transport, introducing a clear process for cross-border military movements by standardised templates, with a maximum three-day processing time and specific rules for emergency situations;
• A new European Military Mobility Enhanced Response System (EMERS) to be activated in times of crisis, enabling EU-wide prioritisation of military movements and priority access for the armed forces to infrastructure, transport assets, and essential logistical services;
• New text box Streamlined customs and transport formalities to expedite customs formalities when the EMERS is activated, a single notification process for all transport modes;

With these measures, the objective is to significantly improve military mobility across the Union, through better cooperation and strategic flexibility in response to evolving security challenges.

Transport infrastructure, such as bridges, highways, tunnels and much more, needs to be ready to sustain both civil and military purposes. As military convoys are often large in scale and composed of oversized and overweight vehicles, our infrastructure network needs to be adapted and upgraded. For this the Joint Communication proposes:

• Upgrading the four Priority Military Mobility corridors addressing key bottlenecks along these with the already identified 500 “hotspot projects” with increased support under the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF);
• Ensuring the reinforcement and enlargement of rail and road bridges and tunnels, and increasing transport capacity especially in ports and airports while enhancing their resilience and cyber protection;
• Introducing a new resilience toolbox to identify and protect strategic dual-use infrastructure to make them resilient against all hazards and threats, mitigate foreign ownership risks and strengthen cybersecurity;
• Ensuring energy supply for military transport, integrating defence needs into forthcoming EU energy security legislation and sustainable fuels strategies. 

In a time of crisis, we need Union-wide solidarity mechanisms, the pooling and sharing of EU assets, and ensuring that we know where dual-use transport capabilities are available.

• A Military Mobility Solidarity Pool, allowing Member States to voluntarily share and use registered national and EU transport assets, such as rail-cars and in-land waterway vessels, with possible EU co-funding;
• The creation of a Military Mobility Digital Information System, an EU-wide platform for managing movement authorisations and customs documentation, interoperable with NATO systems;
• A Military Mobility Catalogue, enabling private operators to voluntarily list dual-use transport and logistic assets available for military transport operations.

The EU continues to further strengthen and expand mutually beneficial partnerships on military mobility with like-minded partners, based on shared values and interests, through Security and Defence Partnerships, and the EDA and PESCO frameworks. Other actions taken in the Package:

• Deepen “flagship” cooperation with NATO on military mobility;
• Shared table-top exercises from 2026 on military mobility where the EU will invite NATO; 
• Member States can use the new regulatory framework to speed up their assistance to Ukraine. 

Proper governance, coordination, and oversight are indispensable to ensure that when Europe moves, it moves as one. A whole of government approach – bringing in together military, civilian, and governance structures, is essential enabler of a successful implementation of the measures outlined in the Military Mobility Package.

• Proposal to establish a Military Mobility Transport Group, bringing together Member States, the EEAS, the Commission, and the European Defence Agency. Ukraine and EEA countries may be invited as observers. The High Representative and the Commission will also take further steps to strengthen additional work strands on military mobility, including on EU-level coordination.
• To better co-ordinate on the ground, each Member State shall designate a National Coordinator for Military Transport to serve as a single contact point for permissions and notifications and to ensure whole-of-government approach.
• To ensure the Union’s readiness, a regular assessment though an annual “Military Transport Readiness Check” and possible “stress tests” will be conducted.
• Exercises will validate procedures, improve coordination among Member States, enhance interoperability with partners, and generate lessons to inform policy, planning, and investment.