EU MILITARY MOBILITY TALKS PROGRESS, BUT KEY ISSUES REMAIN UNRESOLVED
On 20 October 2026, a trilogue meeting was held on the proposed Military Mobility Regulation which Parliament’s lead negotiators, Roberts Zīle (ECR, LV) and Michał Szczerba (PL, EPP) described as productive, with a potential agreement targeted for the next trilogue on 09 December 2026.
Several provisions were provisionally agreed, including a five-day deadline for issuing or amending ad hoc military transport authorisations, the possibility of extending certain provisions of the Regulation to Ukraine and Moldova, and deadlines for granting rail capacity under the European Military Mobility Enhanced Response System (EMERS). Measures to limit the impact of military mobility requirements on civilian working conditions were also addressed.
As reported in CLECAT Newsletter 2026/33, important differences remain over the activation and design of the European Military Mobility Enhanced Response System (EMERS). While the Commission and Parliament favour a system of general derogations applying to military transport operations across the EU, the Council wants to allow Member States to restrict the application of EMERS on their territory to individual military transport operations, subject to case-by-case authorisation and the use of specific EMERS certificates. This fundamental disagreement remains unresolved. Differences also persist over the activation procedure and duration of EMERS, with Parliament favouring Commission-led activation subject to Council approval within 48 hours and a maximum duration of one year, while the Council supports greater Member State involvement, a 72-hour timeframe and a six-month duration.
Questions concerning the economic protection of civilian transport operators also remain unresolved. Parliament supports EU-level compensation for operators, infrastructure managers, and asset owners affected by military movements, while the Council’s position leaves compensation to individual Member States. The Solidarity Pool and possible compensation linked to EMERS activation are expected to feature in the next round of negotiations.
Further technical discussions are expected before the next trilogue in December, when negotiators aim to resolve the remaining political issues.