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Headlines

EU must improve capacity to move troops fast amid growing threats, says watchdog

Published by Global Banking and Finance Review

Posted on February 5, 2025

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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A European Union programme to make it easier to shift troops and weapons across the continent quickly - by upgrading transport links - has been undermined by a lack of strategic thinking, an EU watchdog agency said on Wednesday.

The issue of "military mobility" has risen up Europe's political agenda since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with governments anxious to revamp transport networks so they can move soldiers and kit quickly in the event of a crisis.

But a report by the EU Court of Auditors, which scrutinises EU spending, suggests the 27-nation bloc needs to raise its game to be better prepared for a military emergency.

"Now more than ever, the EU seeks to future-proof itself efficiently against aggression. Consequently, military mobility has become a crucial priority of the EU’s defence capabilities," said Court of Auditors President Tony Murphy.

"There is clearly a real need for speed. However, we found that there are some bottlenecks along the way."

The watchdog said a 1.7 billion euro ($1.77 billion) EU action plan lacked focus, with not enough thought given during funding decisions to which projects would be most valuable.

For example, construction of two sections of "one of the most strategic roads in the EU from a military perspective" were funded under the programme but a final section was not, the watchdog said. It did not identify the road.

EU funding has gone toward constructing railway bridges in Germany, improving transport links to an army base in Estonia, and developing a section of road to the Lithuanian-Polish border, among other projects.

But the watchdog said even some EU countries which border each other had pursued different types of project rather than taking a joined-up approach.

It recommended the EU improve the decision-making process for military mobility and make it easier for authorities to predict what projects would be funded.

($1 = 0.9596 euros)

(Reporting by Lili Bayer; Editing by Gareth Jones)