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The European Logistics Platform (ELP) convened this week for a high-level debate on Military Mobility, hosted by MEP Petras Auštrevičius, co-rapporteur on the European Parliament’s own-initiative report on Military Mobility, to discuss how to enhance Europe’s readiness for the rapid cross-border movement of troops and assets across all modes of transport. Over thirty Members of the European Parliament, the European Commission and logistics industry leaders gathered at the European Parliament to exchange views on the way forward.

In his opening remarks, MEP Petras Auštrevičius recalled that the European Parliament’s draft report on Military Mobility calls for faster progress on the development of dual-use infrastructure, the simplification of regulatory frameworks, and stronger coordination between civilian and military actors. He noted that many of today’s barriers to mobility are not physical but procedural, from fragmented customs and transport rules to inconsistent national regulations and infrastructure not yet designed to accommodate heavy or specialised equipment. He argued that Europe needs to move towards a ‘Military Schengen‘ that reduces administrative burdens, accelerates permitting and digitalises procedures to allow the swift, predictable and secure movement of troops and equipment across borders.

Axel Kienast, Vice President and Global Head Government and Defence at DHL Global Forwarding, outlined how Europe’s military mobility ambitions hinge on effective civil-military cooperation and the integration of private logistics capacities into defence planning. He noted that many Member States still operate with fragmented, nationally driven procedures with limited coordination. Persistent digitalisation gaps, misaligned procurement processes, and the absence of common EU transport certification and permitting standards continue to cause delays and inefficiencies. Mr Kienast called for the removal of bureaucratic hurdles and excessive paperwork, stressing the need to harmonise transit and out-of-gauge cargo permissions between countries and to replace lengthy notification processes with a more predictable, interoperable and standardized framework. He further underlined the importance of green lanes for military movements and joint exercises and trainings in cooperation with the logistics sector.

Alan Aleksandrowicz, Vice President of the Board for Finance and Security at the Port of Gdańsk Authority, stressed the crucial role of ports as strategic nodes in both economic and defence supply chains. He explained that ports must adapt to dual-use operations and require flexible financing and legal frameworks to enable investments in resilience and security. Mr Aleksandrowicz urged the EU to extend its defence procurement directive (2008/81/EC) to include strategically important civilian ports, introduce continuous calls for dual-use infrastructure under the Military Mobility programme, and loosen rigid technical criteria that currently exclude key ports from eligibility for funding under the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1328 of 10 August 2021 specifying the technical and operational requirements for so-called dual-use infrastructure referred to in Regulation (EU) 2021/1153.

Rinalds Pļavnieks, Member of the Board at Latvian Railways (LDz), underlined the importance of integrating military requirements into the broader European transport network. He explained that rail infrastructure must not only serve passengers and cargo but also accommodate dynamic military operations such as movement, evacuation, and transport of essential supplies. Military assets are often heavy and oversized, he noted, underscoring the need for a reliable supply of dual-use rolling stock, specialised wagons, and dual-use diesel locomotives that could form part of a European “solidarity pool.” Mr Pļavnieks also drew attention to administrative and functional bottlenecks, calling for the establishment of dedicated administrative corridors and stronger coordination between civil and military authorities to ensure the efficient use of available infrastructure.

Ramūnas Stanionis, from the cabinet of Commissioner for Defense and Space, Andrius Kubilius, explained that the upcoming Military Mobility Package, expected by the end of 2025, will take a comprehensive and pragmatic approach to strengthening Europe’s military mobility. The initiative will focus on harmonising national procedures, improving the resilience and dual-use capacity of transport infrastructure, and introducing a capability component to address existing operational gaps. It will also reinforce alignment with the TEN-T network and deepen cooperation with NATO to ensure interoperability and coordinated planning across the continent. 

In his closing reflections, MEP Auštrevičius reiterated his commitment to advancing the Military Mobility agenda in the European Parliament, now and that this should remain under review in the coming years. He stressed that the Commission should be encouraged to revise the necessary EU legislation, simplify, harmonise and digitise military mobility procedures, and accelerate the granting of permits. He concluded that the funding gap must be addressed to ensure that Europe’s military mobility ambitions translate into tangible, operational capacity on the ground.