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At a European Parliament joint meeting of the TRAN and SEDE Committees on 8 April, rapporteurs MEP Michał Szczerba and MEP Roberts Zīle presented their draft report on the proposed Regulation on military mobility. While broadly supporting the Commission proposal, the draft introduces a more ambitious and operational framework, with stronger emphasis on NATO cooperation, faster procedures, accelerated digitalisation and an expanded scope covering infrastructure resilience, energy supply and emergency preparedness.

A central element of the proposal, the emergency mechanism (EMERS), is further reinforced. The draft report broadens its scope to include crisis and pre-crisis situations, introduces stricter timelines for activation and extends the range of exemptions that can be applied during emergencies. These include exemptions from traffic restrictions across all transport modes as well as certain environmental rules, reflecting the priority given to ensuring rapid and uninterrupted movement in critical situations.

Importantly for the logistics sector, the draft report explicitly recognises the growing role of civilian infrastructure and commercial operators in military transport. It acknowledges that a significant share of military movements is carried out by civilian companies and introduces provisions to ensure that such operations are treated in the same way as those performed directly by armed forces. This is a welcome clarification, although key aspects related to the transport of export-controlled goods and transit procedures remain insufficiently addressed.

The Parliament also introduces new provisions on compensation and market impact, which were largely absent from the Commission proposal. Member States would be required to compensate infrastructure operators for disruptions caused by priority access for military transport, while liability rules for rail operators are clarified in emergency situations.

During the exchange of views, several shadow rapporteurs outlined priorities for the upcoming amendments. MEP François Kalfon announced proposals to introduce a stronger “European preference”, suggesting that assets placed in the Solidarity Pool, including aircraft, locomotives and vehicles, should be ‘made in Europe’ and that critical infrastructure should avoid components from ‘hostile powers’. MEP Valérie Devaux similarly called for safeguards against dependencies on high-risk suppliers for strategic infrastructure and transport capabilities. MEP Virginijus Sinkevičius stressed the need to accelerate the shift towards European-origin infrastructure and technologies, including in aviation, while MEP Dariusz Joński supported the introduction of compensation mechanisms when military mobility is prioritised under EMERS.

CLECAT will continue to follow the file closely in both the European Parliament and the Council, where discussions are also progressing. Particular attention will be given to the upcoming amendments, which will be key to addressing outstanding operational issues, including the role of civilian logistics operators, transit procedures and the interaction with existing regulatory frameworks.

The exchange in the European Parliament TRAN-SEDE Committee can be watched here.