EU defence Commission unveils plan to speed up army movements

The EU yesterday pledged to ease red tape to speed up the movement of military forces across the continent, calling it “a critical insurance policy for European security”.

- Jennifer Rankin

The mobility plan announced by the European Commission is part of an effort to ensure Europe can defend itself by 2030, after warnings from security services that Russia could be able to attack a member state within five years.

If an army sought today to move from a western European port to the EU’s eastern border with Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, it would encounter major obstacles and delays, say EU officials. They point to bridges that cannot bear the weight of tanks, railway tunnels that are too small and track gauges that are too narrow for military equipment.