In a communication published Friday, the Commission announced an action plan “to facilitate and help to expedite military mobility,” which effectively amounted to a pre-emptive strike by the Commission ahead of a meeting of defense ministers at the Council on Monday, where they are to officially sign on to a new military cooperation initiative. [...]
The Commission’s move, while acknowledging national sovereignty over troop movements, nonetheless puts pressure on EU defense ministers to prioritize mobility in their new cooperation venture, and on NATO to explain why obstacles remain despite years of discussions about eliminating them, particularly in the face of new security threats from Russia. [...]
Key will be finding cash to buttress roads and bridges around the bloc to make sure they can bear the weight of tanks and heavy machinery. A commitment by NATO allies to increase spending will likely help on that front. Infrastructure is especially creaky in the east, and agreeing to invest could help some meet their 2 percent NATO defense spending target.
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