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On 23 June 2026, Members of the European Parliament’s Committees on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) and Security and Defence (SEDE) adopted a report prepared by the co-rapporteurs, Michał Szczerba (EPP, PL, SEDE) and Roberts Zīle (ECR, LV, TRAN). In a joined session, the two Committees voted on six compromise amendments.

To overcome administrative barriers and fragmented national procedures, MEPs supported the creation of the Military Mobility Digital Information System (MMDIS), a secure digital information system to help EU countries in managing military transport permissions, traffic arrangements, and customs formalities. They propose advancing its introduction to 2027 (ahead of the Commission’s original proposal of 2030) and ensuring its interoperability with NATO.

MEPs backed measures to speed up the granting of military transport permissions, via standing and ad-hoc permissions to be granted within one month and within two working days, respectively. The new rules call on EU countries to prioritise the upgrading of dual-use and energy supply infrastructure hotspots, such as roads, bridges, tunnels, railways, or access to ports, airports, and multimodal freight terminals, to withstand military transport movement. MEPs call for sufficient EU and national funding and instruct the Commission to set-up a clear investments timetable.

To address military mobility capability gaps, the new rules would instruct the Commission to establish a Solidarity Pool within six months after the Regulation’s entry into force. This would pool and share transport and logistical capabilities of the EU and her Member States - such as vehicles, personnel, ICT systems, medical units, vessels, or trains - to facilitate military transport operations for EU countries in need.

MEPs acknowledge that, in an emergency or crisis, normal transport rules or network capacities are insufficient to meet a significant increase in the volume, frequency, or speed of military transport. For this reason, they back the creation of a European Military Mobility Enhanced Response System (EMERS) that would temporarily activate an alternative transport regime tailored to the needs of military transport operations to ensure timely and uninterrupted military transport across the EU. MEPs agreed that such an emergency would justify exempting all military transport from a range of cabotage and traffic restrictions and easing rule on driving times, breaks, and rest periods for truck drivers.

Whereas some amendments by the Committees are welcome, CLECAT notes that several issues remain unresolved from the perspective of the freight-forwarding and logistics sector. The report does not establish a horizontal, near-equal priority regime for military transport carried out by civilian logistics operators on behalf of armed forces, despite their essential role in ensuring military readiness. It also misses the opportunity to introduce a harmonised EU framework for the requisition of privately owned transport assets during crises, leaving operators subject to fragmented national rules and legal uncertainty. Furthermore, although the proposal provides for compensation to infrastructure owners, operators, and managers under the European Military Mobility Enhanced Response System (EMERS), it does not address compensation for civilian logistics operators whose commercial transport services may be disrupted by priority military movements.

As trilogue negotiations begin under the upcoming Irish Presidency of the Council, CLECAT will continue to advocate for a military mobility framework that enhances Europe's defence preparedness while remaining practical, proportionate and workable for the civilian logistics operators that will be instrumental in delivering military transport when needed.

Parliament plans to vote on the two Committee’s report during its next plenary session, scheduled for 06-09 July in Strasbourg.

Source: TRAN Committee