BRUSSELS — The European Commission plans to slash red tape and pour money into making it easier to move troops and weapons across the continent, according to the Military Mobility Communication obtained by POLITICO.

The document is part of the upcoming military mobility package, set to be announced on Wednesday alongside a legislative proposal.

“Military mobility is the crucial enabler of the defence posture and capabilities that Europe urgently needs to credibly deter its adversaries and to respond to any crisis,” reads the 15-page communication.

At the heart of the plan is the new European Military Mobility Enhanced Response System, a new scheme allowing member countries — or the Commission — to propose the temporary suspension of normal transport rules during emergencies.

Once triggered, EMERS would give the military priority access to infrastructure, transport assets and essential services.

“Situations requiring rapid, large-scale military movement rarely come announced,” the communication says, adding that without better military mobility rules, deterring an adversary remains “theoretical.”

The EU and NATO are scrambling to make it easier to shift troops, weapons, ammunition and fuel from Western Europe to the front lines of a potential conflict with Russia in the east.

Currently, the bloc’s roads, bridges, railways and paperwork aren’t fit for purpose to react swiftly in the event of a threat. The communication notes that some countries require 45 days of advance notice before allowing military equipment to cross their territory.

“Significant barriers to effective military mobility in the EU persist,” the communication notes. “National rules are often divergent, fragmented and non-harmonised.”

Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas told POLITICO earlier this month that the bloc should replicate its Schengen open-border zone for military equipment.

“We need to move fast. We need to move faster than what Europe is used to or is expecting to,” Tzitzikostas said, saying the target is to get the basics in place by 2030. 

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius warned over the weekend that Russia may be capable of launching an attack on a NATO member state as early as 2028-2029.

If approved, EMERS would also grant derogations from standard customs and transport rules, including limits on driving times and rest periods for civilian operators, as well as faster, dedicated customs procedures under a specific EU protocol.

The framework could stay in place for up to one year, with activation approved by the Council within 48 hours of its proposal.

To ensure coordination on the ground, each member state will appoint a national coordinator for military transport, serving as a single contact point for permissions, notifications and crisis response.

A new Military Mobility Transport Group, bringing together national authorities, the European Defence Agency and the European External Action Service, will oversee implementation.

The communication also mentions forthcoming reviews of the Rail Service Facilities Regulation and the Air Services Regulation, as well as a 2026 evaluation of the flexible use of airspace rules and a pledge to promote dual-use airports.

The text also foresees the creation of a solidarity pool and a strategic lift reserve enabling the shared use of EU and national transport assets in crises.

Other initiatives include a military mobility catalogue of dual-use transport assets, a digital information system for movement authorization, and support for an EU network of civil-defense drone testing centers.

A big part of Europe’s military mobility push is mapping 500 hotspots — the bridges, tunnels and ports that act as bottlenecks for military transport — and updating them to military standards. The communication also foresees an effort to better link the EU’s transport infrastructure to Ukraine that will cost as much as €100 billion.

The Commission wants the EU to set aside €17.7 billion for military mobility under the Connecting Europe Facility in the bloc’s next seven-year budget starting in 2027 — a tenfold jump from the €1.7 billion in the current budget.

The communication also notes that the EU needs to better protect its infrastructure against cyber and hybrid attacks. The bloc has seen a proliferation of such threats, including this Sunday’s explosion on a key Polish railway that the government attributed to “sabotage.”

“Europe must take decisive action,” the communication says. “While progress has been made, the EU remains shackled by fragmented approaches that undermine our ability in moving military equipment and personnel across Europe.”