EU Parliament: “Schengen” also for soldiers and military vehicles

Brussels – Schengen not only for goods and people, but also for military means. The European Parliament today passed a resolution to facilitate the mobility of military vehicles and soldiers between European states. “The Parliament emphasises the work that remains to be done to realise a genuine Schengen military area, and this must be achieved as quickly as possible, so that we can have the capacity to rapidly deploy troops and equipment across the EU,” said rapporteur Petras Auštrevičius (Renew, LT), after the chamber’s approval.

Military #mobility is not just about moving our trooos and assets. It’s essential for deterring, suppressing and containing hostile military actions that arise in various parts of the #EU, and for maintaining and restoring security balance pic.twitter.com/CHncBay2az

— Petras Austrevicius (@petras_petras) December 17, 2025

The signal is to reverse the cuts made in previous years. The Member States, at the time of approval of the 2021–2027 budget, had cut the European Commission’s proposed funding for military mobility by 75 per cent. Originally, the Berlaymont Palace had proposed €6.5 billion, which the capitals cut to 1.7 billion. However, those were other times: Russia had not yet invaded Ukraine, and war issues were among the first expenditures to be sacrificed.

Now the situation is reversed. The Commission, in its negotiation proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028–2032, proposed about €17 billion in November. The Parliament today urged the individual member states not to oppose this target. On the contrary, it stressed that “the modernisation of 500 critical infrastructure points, such as bridges or tunnels, would require at least €100 billion,” adding that “the Commission must simplify procedures for obtaining funding for dual-use projects.”

For security reasons, the “500 critical infrastructure points” are not public. Still, MEPs are hoping for help with modernising multimodal routes (roads, railways, bridges, and tunnels) in the four priority mobility corridors. Works under possible construction, such as the Bridge over the Strait, are not included in this list. The European Council identified the strategic corridors in March. They are: the Northern Corridor (between Scandinavia and Central Europe), the Central-Northern Corridor (from Northern Germany to Austria),  the Central-Southern Corridor between Central Europe and the Mediterranean, and the Eastern Corridor, which includes the routes to and from the Baltic countries to the Black Sea. 

What the Union can do, and what MEPs are promoting, is the facilitation of permits for the passage of troops across the various borders, to avoid bureaucratic and administrative red tape. The goal, reads the parliamentary report, is to ensure “rapid reaction troops to cross internal EU borders within three days in “peacetime” and within 24 hours in a crisis situation.” An outcome only possible if pursued in synergy with NATO. 

After the Christmas break, MEPs from the Transport and Defence committees will start their legislative work on the military mobility package presented by the European Commission.