Security, infrastructure, and social cohesion: EESC adopts key opinions on military mobility, networks, and the housing crisis

Brussels – Infrastructure, energy networks, and social policies: today (18 March), on the first day of its plenary session, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted three opinions on highly topical issues, such as military mobility and energy networks. For proposals in these areas, the Commission must obtain a mandatory opinion, as provided for by the EU Treaties in areas of economic, social, and single‑market policy. The third, on the assessment of the housing crisis, is of an exploratory nature, requested by the current EU Council Presidency to analyse the issue in depth and obtain recommendations prior to the drafting of an official legislative proposal.

The package on military mobility aims to ensure the smooth movement of troops and equipment across the EU to respond to urgent security threats. The cornerstone of this strategy is the “dual-use” policy, which provides for a transport system capable of serving both civilian and military needs. “Military mobility is closely linked to private and public companies, not just to military personnel. This means that dialogue between the social partners is needed to lay the necessary foundations for military mobility,” said Thomas Kattnig, representative of the second group (the workers’ group) – one of the three sections of the EESC – and rapporteur for the opinion, at a press conference this morning. The Committee emphasises that such mobility is vital for deterrence, especially for Member States on the eastern flank. “There are a great many issues arising regarding increased load-bearing capacity of bridges and rail interoperability, because historically the tracks were narrower in the Soviet era, whereas in Europe they are wider,” stresses Baiba Miltoviča, representative of the third group – which represents civil society organisations – and vice-president of the EESC’s Section for Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society. “All this, therefore, requires infrastructure investment; the same applies to the removal of bottlenecks along the corridor (referring to the Suwałki corridor, ed.). I can cite the corridor where we have only one road connecting the Baltic States to Poland and other countries. Even NATO forces have stated that these bottlenecks are a nightmare, because it is not possible to transport troops as the load is already very heavy at the moment,” Miltoviča cites by way of example. Among the key points, the Committee calls for a simplification of customs and logistics regulations, without, however, undermining workers’ rights and safety. “Working conditions in this area must be improved because there is a staff shortage and the transport sector needs to become more attractive,” Kattnig said. 

The European Networks Package aims to strengthen cross-border energy planning and integrate national systems. Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, the EU has faced challenges linked to insufficient energy capacity and security threats, which is why the EESC suggests recognising the expansion of the network as a security-relevant measure, incorporating it into the funding mechanisms of the SAFE regulation – the EU financial instrument that will support Member States wishing to invest in industrial production in the defence sector through joint procurement. The opinion calls for an increase in funding through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the EU financial instrument that supports key infrastructure projects to interconnect transport, energy and digital networks between countries – and the involvement of the European Investment Bank (EIB). Finally, to ensure affordable tariffs, the Committee proposes introducing state-guaranteed hybrid capital instruments.

 Finally, the EESC has drawn up an exploratory opinion to tackle the housing scarcity. “We are facing a massive crisis in the housing market across all Member States in Europe,” Kattnig said. “We are pushing ahead with the social housing plan, and over the last two years, we have worked very hard within the EESC on this issue. The social housing plan is a very important tool, but we need more ambitious and timely measures; therefore, the plan is only a first step in the right direction.” The stated aim is to combine affordable housing initiatives with measures to reduce energy costs, supporting vulnerable households and bridging regional gaps. “There are a wide variety of factors driving this housing crisis, and the EU’s role is to provide an appropriate framework to address the issues wherever they arise,” Kattnig emphasised. The Committee will assess how European housing plans can balance social objectives with the energy transition, while ensuring flexibility for Member States in applying EU guidelines: “Subsidiarity is a very important tool in this regard,” he concluded.