EP calls for the creation of military Schengen

For Poland, the subject of military Schengen has a peculiar dimension. As a front country of the Alliance and the EU, we are a natural transit corridor for allied troops to support our east border and the Baltic States. “Military mobility is an absolutely crucial issue for safety strategy,” said Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz in November, referring to The work of the European Commission, which then presented a package of solutions to improve the mobility of troops within the EU.

Near Shields East

Although the work on military mobility in the EU has been going on for respective years, Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine has given them fresh momentum. The conflict exposed the weaknesses of European infrastructure and procedures, peculiarly in the context of the fast spread of troops to the east flank. It turned out that tanks, combat wagons or anti-aircraft kits could be stuck not at the limit of possible conflict, but hundreds of kilometres earlier – on bridges with insufficient burden capacity, on railway lines not adapted to dense equipment or in a thicket of civilian regulations.

The paper adopted by Euro MPs is simply a political appeal, but clearly indicates the directions of action. What? Firstly, it is about simplifying and harmonising border crossing procedures for EU troops, both in times of peace and crisis. Secondly, the resolution places a strong emphasis on the modernisation of transport infrastructure: roads, railways, bridges, tunnels and ports. It is worth noting that in this respect it is powerfully part of the programme implemented in Poland “The Tartar East”, that is building fortifications on the east wall of the country.

The issue of backing is an crucial element. Parliament supports the increase in funds for military mobility in the next multi-annual financial framework of the EU, arguing that these are double-use investments, serving both the military and the civilian economy. “Military mobility is not a luxury, but a necessity,” recalled Petras Ausztreviczius (Renew Europe), 1 of the task rapporteurs.

Strategic Pressure

The EP resolution clearly emphasises that the thought of military Schengen is not to compete with NATO but to complement it. The North Atlantic Alliance remains the foundation of Europe's collective defence, but most transport infrastructure and regulations lie within the competence of the European Union and its associate States - hence the initiative.

The resolution is further evidence that Europe is gradually shifting from crisis consequence to long-term preparedness logic. Military mobility ceases to be a method subject and becomes 1 of the strategical elements of the puzzle – alongside the defence industry, ammunition stocks and interoperability.

Efforts to reduce the timing of the deployment of forces increase the reliability of deterrence, at the same time entailing expanding logistical, infrastructure and organisational burdens. The main challenge is so to translate political declarations into concrete ones. The European Parliament resolution does not make law, but puts force on the European Commission and the governments of the associate States. Without their decisions, backing and readiness to abandon parts of Schengen's national military procedures will stay a slogan.