JOINT REPORT TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the implementation of the Action Plan on Military Mobility from October 2020 to September 2021
Date: 2021-09-24
Institutions: Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space, European Commission
Subjects: EU action, European Defence Agency, European defence policy, VAT, dual-use technology, military cooperation, simplification of formalities, trans-European network, transport infrastructure, transport of dangerous goods

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION HIGH REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNION FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SECURITY POLICY Brussels, 24.9.2021  JOIN(2021) 26 final  JOINT REPORT TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the implementation of the Action Plan on Military Mobility from October 2020 to September 2021  
 
 
I. 

INTRODUCTION  

1.  Since the launch of the Military Mobility initiative in 20171, the EU Action Plan on Military 
Mobility (hereafter “Action Plan”) of 28 March 20182 has provided a coherent framework for 
ongoing and future programmes, projects, initiatives and activities as part of a coordinated EU 
approach.  The  Union  institutions,  bodies  and  agencies  as  well  as  the  respective  national 
authorities of the EU Member States continue implementing the Action Plan at a steady pace 
in all three main areas – transport infrastructure; regulatory and procedural issues; and other 
cross-cutting topics. All EU stakeholders have maintained their cooperation in full respect of 
national sovereignty and the relevant competences.  

2.  As  called  for  in  the  Action  Plan,  the  High  Representative  and  the  Commission  present 
periodic progress reports3. The first Joint Report on the implementation of the Action Plan on 
Military Mobility was presented on 3 June 20194 and the second Joint Report – on 19 October 
20205.  This  Report  is  presented  in  complementarity  with  the  European  Defence  Agency’s 
Annual  Progress  Report  on  Military  Mobility6,  which  covered  activities  solely  under  the 
Agency’s remit during the period from March 2020 to March 2021.  

3.  The  implementation  of  the  Action  Plan  continues  in  coherence  with  the  relevant  project 
undertaken  by  Member  States  in  the  framework  of  the  Permanent  Structured  Cooperation, 
which addresses national measures including those agreed upon by the EU Member States on 
25 June 20187. The relevant EU institutions, bodies and agencies continue to participate in the 
proceedings  of  the  PESCO  project  Military  Mobility,  which  will  soon  become  the  first 
PESCO project with the participation of third States – the United States of America, Canada 
and Norway – in accordance with the Council decisions adopted on 6 May 20218.  

4.  Moreover, military mobility remains a “flagship” area for enhanced cooperation between the 
EU and NATO, with efficient interaction between the staffs within the Structured Dialogue 
on  Military  Mobility.  The  concrete  deliverables  achieved  over  the  past  year  have  been 
reflected in further detail in the sixth progress report on EU-NATO cooperation9. 

1  Joint  Communication  to  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  on  Improving  Military  Mobility  in  the 
European Union {JOIN(2017) 41 final}. 
2  Joint  Communication  to  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  on  the  Action  Plan  on  Military  Mobility 
{JOIN(2018)05 final}. 
3 Joint Communication to the European Parliament and the Council on the Action Plan on Military Mobility, 28 
March 2018 {JOIN(2018)05 final}, p. 10. 
4 Joint Report to the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of the Action Plan on Military 
Mobility {JOIN(2019) 11final}. 
5 Joint Report to the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of the Action Plan on Military 
Mobility from June 2019 to September 2020 {JOIN(2020) 16 final}. 
6 Annex to Document SB 2021/035, 26 May 2021. 
7  Council  conclusions  on  Security  and  Defence  in  the  context  of  the  EU  Global  Strategy,  25  June  2018, 
paragraph 18, http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-10246-2018-INIT/en/pdf 
8 Council Decision (CFSP) 2021/748 on the participation of  Canada in the PESCO project Military Mobility; 
Council  Decision  (CFSP)  2021/749  on  the  participation  of  the  Kingdom  of  Norway  in  the  PESCO  project 
Military Mobility; and Council Decision (CFSP) 2021/750 on the participation of the United States of America 
in the PESCO project Military Mobility. 
9  Sixth  progress  report  on  the  implementation  of  the  common  set  of  proposals  endorsed  by  EU  and  NATO 
Councils 
2021, 
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2021/06/03/eu-nato-cooperation-sixth-progress-report/  

December 

December 

2017, 

2016 

June 

and 

on 

6 

5 

3 

1 

 
                                                           
5.  The Council welcomed in its conclusions on security and defence of May 202110 the progress 
on  military  mobility  in  the  context  of  the  Permanent  Structured  Cooperation,  within  the 
European Defence Agency, as well as nationally. Moreover, it called for further reflection on 
possible  actions,  relevant  actors  and  new  deliverables  to  improve  Military  Mobility  within 
and beyond the EU, including by identifying potential areas for such actions. In addition, the 
Strategic  Compass,  expected  to  be  adopted  by  the  Council  in  March  2022,  should  provide 
further guidance and set concrete objectives for the Military Mobility initiative. 

II.  MILITARY  REQUIREMENTS  FOR  MILITARY  MOBILITY  WITHIN 

AND BEYOND THE EU 

6.  Following  their  approval  by  the  Council,  the  Military  Requirements  for  Military  Mobility 
within  and  beyond  the  EU11  (hereafter  “Military  Requirements”)  have  been  used  as  a 
reference point for the implementation of the Action Plan. In particular, they served to define 
the dual-use requirements and to support the work undertaken by the EU Member States to 
prepare their dual-use transport infrastructure project pipelines (see points 9-11 and point 15 
below). Moreover, the addition of the military layer of the EU military transport network data 
onto  the  interactive  TENtec  map  viewer  enables  the  EU  Member  States  to  more  easily 
identify  the  bottlenecks  and  vulnerable  areas  on  the  trans-European  transport  network  (see 
points 17-18 below).  

7.  Furthermore,  as  a  next  step  after  the  foreseen  revision  of  the  trans-European  transport 
network  Regulation,  the  European  External  Action  Service/EU  Military  Staff  envisages  an 
update  of  the  Military  Requirements,  which,  among  other  purposes,  would  enable  further 
alignment  of  the  trans-European  transport  network  and  the  EU  military  transport  network 
maps and standards (see point 16 below). 

III.  TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE 

8.  Given that the EU Member States use the same transport infrastructure for both civilian and 
military  movements  and  transportation,  increasing  the  synergies  between  existing  Union 
policies,  notably  the  trans-European  transport  network  and  the  military  needs,  remains  an 
essential pillar of the Action Plan. 

A.  Dual-use transport infrastructure funding 

9.  The Multiannual  Financial  Framework12  for the  years 2021  to  2027  applies from  1  January 
2021.  It  contains  expenditures  on  security  and  defence  for  the  first  time,  including  a  1.5 
billion  EUR  allocation  for  military  mobility  through  the  Connecting  Europe  Facility  2021-
202713 (amounting to 1.69 billion EUR in current prices). 

and 

Council 

Security 

conclusions 

10 
on 
https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-8396-2021-INIT/en/pdf 
11 Military Requirements for Military Mobility within and beyond the EU, update (ST 10921/19), 4 July 2019, 
approved by the Council on 15 July and consolidated with the remaining part on 19 July (ST 11373/19). 
12 Council  Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2093 of 17 December 2020 laying down the  multiannual financial 
framework for the years 2021 to 2027, OJ L 433I, 22.12.2020, p. 11. 
13  Special  meeting  of  the  European  Council  (17,  18,  19,  20  and  21  July  2020)  –  Conclusions, 
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/45109/210720-euco-final-conclusions-en.pdf, p. 53. 

Defence 

2021, 

May 

10 

of 

2 

 
                                                           
10.  Subsequently, the Connecting Europe Facility 2021-2027 Regulation entered into force on 14 
July  202114.  An  Implementing  Regulation  on  dual-use  requirements15  defines  transport 
infrastructure  requirements  that  are  necessary  for  both  civilian  and  military  mobility.  The 
Implementing Regulation establishes eligibility standards for transport infrastructure projects 
applying  for  co-funding  from  the  Connecting  Europe  Facility  military  mobility  budget.  In 
addition, the standards defined in the Implementing Regulation can be used as a reference for 
future infrastructure planning by the EU Member States. 

11.  To  be  eligible  for  EU  co-funding,  transport  infrastructure  projects  must  meet  the  dual-use 
infrastructure  requirements  set  out  in  the  Implementing  Regulation.  Projects  surpassing  the 
dual-use requirements will be eligible for co-funding, but co-funding will only be possible for 
eligible  costs  that  correspond  to  the  standards  set  in  the  dual-use  requirements.  Projects 
relating to all transport modes are eligible to apply. 

12.  The Connecting Europe Facility is implemented through Work Programmes which define in 
particular  the  prospective  timetables  and  budgets  for  calls  for  proposals,  their  objectives  as 
well as selection and award criteria. The first multiannual Connecting Europe Facility Work 
Programme was adopted on 5 August 202116. It specifies that between 2021-2023, there will 
be  yearly  calls  for  dual-use  transport  infrastructure  project  proposals  under  the  Connecting 
Europe  Facility  military  mobility  budget.  The  amount  dedicated  to  dual-use  project  co-
funding will be 330 million EUR in current prices for each of these three years. 

13.  The  first  call  for  dual-use  project  proposals  was  launched  by  the  European  Climate, 
Infrastructure  and  Environment  Executive  Agency  (CINEA)  on  16  September  202117.  The 
call  is  open  for  all  transport  modes,  and  EU  Member  States  wishing  to  receive  co-funding 
have to submit their proposals no later than 19 January 2022. After the application deadline, 
independent experts and DG MOVE internal panel will assess the eligible proposals. As part 
of this process, the European External Action Service/EU Military Staff will assess the extent 
to which the eligible proposals contribute to improving military mobility within and beyond 
the EU. 

Recovery and Resilience Facility 

14.  Along  with  the  2021-2027  long-term  EU  budget,  the  EU  adopted  the  recovery  instrument 
NextGenerationEU18  which  provides  the  financing  to  the  Recovery  and  Resilience  Facility. 
The  Recovery  and  Resilience  Facility  will  make  672.5  billion  EUR  in  loans  and  grants 
available  to  support  reforms  and  investments  undertaken  at  a  national  level.  The  Member 
States can  use  their  Recovery  and  Resilience  Facility  allocations  to  invest  also in transport, 
including dual-use, infrastructure. 

Dual-use project pipeline 

15  Commission  Implementing  Regulation  (EU)  2021/1328  of  10  August  2021  specifying  the  infrastructure 
requirements  applicable  to  certain  categories  of  dual-use  infrastructure  actions  pursuant  to  Regulation  (EU) 
2021/1153 of the European Parliament and of the Council, C/2021/5859, OJ L 288, 11.8.2021, p. 37. 
15  Commission  Implementing  Regulation  (EU)  2021/1328  of  10  August  2021  specifying  the  infrastructure 
requirements  applicable  to  certain  categories  of  dual-use  infrastructure  actions  pursuant  to  Regulation  (EU) 
2021/1153 of the European Parliament and of the Council, C/2021/5859, OJ L 288, 11.8.2021, p. 37. 
16  Commission  Implementing  Decision  on  the  financing  of  the  Connecting  Europe  Facility  -  Transport  sector 
and the adoption of the work programme for 2021-2027, C(2021) 5763 final. 
17 https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/calls-proposals/2021-cef-transport-call-proposals_en 
18  Council  Regulation  (EU)  2020/2094  of  14  December  2020  establishing  a  European  Union  Recovery 
Instrument to support the recovery in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis, OJ L 433I , 22.12.2020, p. 23. 

3 

 
                                                           
15.  The  Commission  services  held  meetings  with  representatives  from  the  EU  Member  States’ 
Transport  and  Defence  Ministries  to  identify  their  priority  dual-use  projects  over  2020  and 
early  2021.  More  than  half  of  the  EU  Member  States  presented  their  projects  to  the 
Commission  services  and  the  European  External  Action  Service/EU  Military  Staff.  These 
presentations have helped to better understand the future projects to be put forward by the EU 
Member States to address national infrastructure gaps and bottlenecks undermining  military 
movements. 

B.  Revision of the trans-European transport network Regulation 

16.  The  Commission  is  preparing  a  proposal  for  a  revised  trans-European  transport  network 
Regulation19.  For  the  first  time,  military  mobility  will  be  reflected  in  the  trans-European 
transport  network.  The  Commission,  in  cooperation  with  the  European  External  Action 
Service/EU  Military  Staff,  will  assess  the  need  to  include  certain  dual-use  infrastructure 
requirements  in  the  revised  Regulation  as  well  as  propose  to  add  to  the  trans-European 
transport network those parts of the EU military transport network which are currently not in 
it.  The  additions  will  be  proposed  in  instances  where  substantial  civilian  flows  can  be 
observed. The Commission aims to present the proposal for a revised Regulation in December 
2021. 

C.  TENtec Information System 

17.  After  the  Military  Requirements  were  approved  by  the  Council  in  November  2018,  the 
Commission services, in cooperation with the European External Action Service/EU Military 
Staff,  overlaid  the  EU  military  transport  network  data  onto  the  interactive  TENtec  map 
viewer20,  thus  allowing  to  visualise  the  EU  military  transport  network.  The  Commission 
services updated the interactive military transport network maps following the update of the 
Military Requirements in July 201921 and the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU 
in  January  2020.  The  TENtec  information  system  remains  the  primary  means  for  EU 
institutions’  and  national  administrations’  officials  to  access  and  analyse  the  EU  military 
transport network. 

18.  In parallel to the map updates, the Commission services are preparing a significant upgrade to 
the  TENtec  information  system  which  will  consolidate  the  different  viewers  as  well  as 
provide  additional  functionalities,  improved  user  experience  and  new  analytical  tools.  The 
upgrade  should  be  rolled  out  by  mid-2022.  As  part  of  the  effort,  the  Commission  services, 
together  with  the  EU  Member  States  and  other  stakeholders,  are  preparing  automated  data 
exchange solutions which will lead to significant improvements concerning data quality and 
timeliness. 

19.  Finally, concerning the potential interlinking of military and civilian databases as identified in 
the  Action  Plan,  consultations  with the relevant  parties  are  expected  to  begin in  the  second 
semester of 2021. 

IV. 

TRANSPORT OF DANGEROUS GOODS 

19  Regulation  (EU)  No  1315/2013  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  11  December  2013  on 
Union  guidelines  for  the  development  of  the  trans-European  transport  network  and  repealing  Decision  No 
661/2010/EU, OJ L 348, 20.12.2013, p.1. 
20  Access  to  the  interactive  viewer  is  provided  to  EU  Institutions’  and  EU  Member  States’  national 
administrations’ staff on a need-to-know basis upon contacting move-tentec@ec.europa.eu 
21 Military Requirements for Military Mobility within and beyond the EU, update (ST 10921/19), 4 July 2019, 
approved by the Council on 15 July and consolidated with the remaining part on 19 July (ST 11373/19). 

4 

 
                                                           
20.  Following  the  conclusion  of  the  survey  on  existing  rules  and  regulations  applicable  to  the 
transport  of  dangerous  goods,  its  findings  have  been  addressed  within  the  remit  of  the 
European Defence Agency Programme on “Optimising Cross-Border Movement Permission 
procedures  in  Europe”.  The  Programme  is  developing  two  Technical  Arrangements  (see 
points 27 to 29 below), which also address the issue of transport of dangerous goods in the 
military  domain.  Once  signed,  they  will  establish  a  reference  framework  of  applicable 
recommendations,  under  which  the  contributing  Member  States  would  comply  with 
international agreements applicable to civilian transport on the transport of dangerous goods. 
For  movements  not  governed  by  the  civilian  rules,  the  contributing  Member  States  would 
apply the relevant NATO Standardisation Agreement.  

21.  In  parallel,  the  Commission  services,  in  close  cooperation  with  European  External  Action 
Service/  EU  Military  Staff  and  the  European  Defence  Agency,  assessed  the  feasibility  and 
need for further action at EU level in this domain and concluded that it was not necessary at 
that  time.  The implementation  of the  two Technical Arrangements,  once they  are  signed, is 
expected to provide adequate and effective solutions for the transport of dangerous goods in 
the  military  domain.  The  Commission  services  and  the  Member  States’  experts  on  the 
transport  of  dangerous  goods  will  continue  to  exchange  knowledge,  notably  within  the 
European  Defence  Agency  Project  Team  Movement  and  Transport  or  via  staff-to-staff 
contacts.  

V. 

CUSTOMS AND VALUE-ADDED TAX 

A.  Customs 

22.  The specific actions identified in the Action Plan aiming to streamline and simplify customs 
formalities  for  cross-border  military  movements  while  ensuring  synergies  with  NATO 
included amendments to two Commission Regulations linked to the Union Customs Code, as 
well  as  guidelines  to  ensure  correct  and  uniform  implementation  of  customs  legislation  on 
matters related to military activities. 

23.  Following the amendments to the two Commission Regulations that took place in 202022 and 
in  order to  further  ensure uniform  treatment,  the  Commission  services, in  consultation  with 
the European External Action Service, including the EU Military Staff, prepared a guidance 
document on the use of the EU form 302 on 16 February 202123. It is available in other EU 
official  languages24  and  builds  on  an  initial  draft  guidance  document  prepared  by  the 
European Defence Agency.  

24.  The above-mentioned establishment of the EU form 302 in July 202025 allows for assessing 
the need for its digitalisation, as suggested in the Action Plan to the EU Member States. In 

22  The  Delegated  Regulation  (EU)  2015/2446  was  amended  by  Commission  Delegated  Regulation  (EU) 
2020/877 of 3.4.2020, which was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 26 June 2020 and 
entered  into  force  on  16  July  2020.  On  29  June  2020  the  Commission  adopted  an  amendment  to  the 
Implementing  Regulation  (EU)  2015/2447,  namely  Commission  Implementing  Regulation  (EU)  893/2020  of 
29.6.2020, which was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 30 June 2020 and entered into 
force on 20 July 2020. 
23 Guidance document on customs formalities in the EU for military goods to be moved or used in the context of 
military  activities 
form  302),  https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/system/files/2021-
02/guidance_document_on_customs_formalities_in_the_eu_for_military_goods.pdf  
24 https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/customs-4/union-customs-code/ucc-guidance-documents_en  
25  Commission  Delegated  Regulation  (EU)  2020/877  of  3.4.2020  amending  and  correcting  Commission 
Delegated  Regulation  2015/2446  supplementing  Regulation  (EU)  No  952/2013,  and  amending  Delegated 
Regulation  (EU)  2016/341  supplementing  Regulation  (EU)  No  952/2013,  laying  down  the  Union  Customs 

(use  of 

the 

5 

 
                                                           
May  2021,  23  EU  Member  States  and  Norway  signed  the  European  Defence  Agency 
Programme  Arrangement  of 
the  Category  A  Programme  “Harmonising  Military 
Requirements  Related  to  Customs”  which  will  consider  possibilities  to  digitalise  military-
related customs activities.  

25.  The  Programme  identifies  three  main  objectives:  i)  assessment  of  military  needs  in  the 
customs fields; ii) provision of a study to detail the specifications and requirements according 
to the assessment; and iii) development of a military customs system based on the results of 
the  study.  Each  of  these  objectives  will  be  implemented  in  separate  steps  conditional  to  a 
positive outcome of the previous one. 

B.  Value-added tax 

26.  Directive (EU) 2019/223526 adopted in December 201927 ensures equal treatment of defence 
efforts  under  NATO  and  under  the  EU  framework  from  the  fiscal  perspective.  The  actions 
undertaken by the Commission on value-added tax as identified in the Action Plan are hence 
completed,  and  it  is  up  to  the  EU  Member  States  to  adopt  the  laws,  regulations  and 
administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive. Directive 2019/2235 is to 
be transposed by 1 July 2022 at the latest so that the measures identified in the Directive (EU) 
2019/2235 can apply from that date onwards. During the reporting period for this Report, five 
Member  States  have  notified  the  Commission  of  steps  having  been  taken  to  transpose  that 
Directive into their national legislation. 

VI. 

CROSS-BORDER MOVEMENT PERMISSION 

27.  In  the  remit  of  the  ongoing  European  Defence  Agency  Programme  on  “Optimising  Cross-
Border  Movement  Permission  procedures  in  Europe”,  twenty-five  participating  Member 
States,  as  well  as  Norway  under  its  administrative  arrangement  with  the  European  Defence 
Agency, have joined the Programme. The activities undertaken as part of the Programme have 
led  to  harmonisation  of  the  data  needed  for  cross-border  movement.  The  Programme  is 
currently  developing  two  Technical  Arrangements,  one  for  the  surface  and  one  for  the  air 
domain (see also point 20).  

28.  The Technical Arrangement for surface movement aims to enhance the military mobility for 
road,  rail  and  inland  waterways  by  harmonising  and  simplifying  administrative  procedures 
and  fostering  movement  permissions.  The  Technical  Arrangement  for  Air  Movement 
encompasses a wider range of missions, complementary to the existing Diplomatic Clearance 
Technical  Arrangement,  and  will  include  air-to-air  refuelling,  Remotely  Piloted  Aircraft 
System platforms, training missions, fighter jets and rotary wings. 

29.  National  staffing  of  the two Technical  Arrangements  was  initiated  in  spring  2021  to  enable 
their  signature  by  the  end  of  2021.  The  contributing  Member  States  are  considering  the 
possibility for the two Technical Arrangements to be used by their National Points of Contact 
for Military Mobility. 

Code, OJ L 203, 26.6.2020, p.1; Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 893/2020 of 29.6.2020 amending 
Implementing  Regulation  (EU)  2015/2447  laying  down  detailed  rules  for  implementing  certain  provisions  of 
Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down the Union Customs 
Code, OJ L 206, 30.6.2020, p. 8. 
26 Council Directive (EU) 2019/2235 of 16 December 2019 amending Directive 2006/112/EC on the common 
system of value added tax and Directive 2008/118/EC concerning the general arrangements for excise duty as 
regards defence efforts within the Union framework, ST/14126/2019/INIT, OJ L 336, 30.12.2019, p. 10. 
27 See more in the first Joint Report to the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of the 
Action Plan on Military Mobility {JOIN(2019) 11final}, p. 7. 

6 

 
                                                                                                                                                                                     
VII.  OTHER ISSUES 

30.  A  few  cross-cutting  issues,  such  as  disinformation,  cybersecurity  and  critical  infrastructure 
protection, have been considered as relevant to military mobility. These issues are part of the 
22 Actions of the 2016 Joint Framework on Countering Hybrid Threats28. The Fifth Progress 
Report on the implementation of the 2016 Joint Framework on countering hybrid threats and 
the 2018 Joint Communication on increasing resilience and bolstering capabilities to address 
hybrid threats was published on 23 June 202129. 

31.  Military mobility is also a topic of the 2021 annual work programme of the European Defence 
Fund30.  On  30 June  2021,  the  Commission called  upon  consortia  of legal entities  to submit 
proposals  for  the  cooperative  development  of  a  digital  system  for  the  secure  and  quick 
exchange  of  information  related  to  military  mobility31.  It  is  one  of  the  topics  under  a  call 
worth 50 million EUR. Project proposals can be submitted until 9 December 2021. 

32.  A scenario-based discussion on military mobility was held in January 2021 as a side event to 
the  EU  Crisis  Management  Exercise  Integrated  Resolve  2020.  The  event  brought  together 
participants from the EU Member States, the European External Action Service including the 
EU  Military  Staff, the  Commission  services, the  European  Defence  Agency,  as  well  as  key 
EU partners  –  NATO staff and three NATO Allies – the United States of America, Canada 
and Norway. 

33.  The first Coordinated Annual Review on Defence Report was approved in November 2020 by 
the  European  Defence  Agency  Steering  Board  in  Ministers  of  Defence  composition.  The 
Report recommends six focus areas of collaborative opportunities in capability development, 
based  on  the  2018  EU  Capability  Development  Priorities32.  One  of  the  focus  areas  is 
“Enhanced  Military  Mobility”,  which  encompasses  the  need  for  improved  resilience,  lift 
capabilities and logistics, while taking into account hybrid threats to military movements and 
putting forward suggestions how to address such threats in a holistic manner. In particular, the 
ongoing work strand on digitalisation has potential for cross-cutting impact on all “Enhanced 
Military Mobility” activities. In this context, the European Defence Agency has presented and 
discussed with the participating Member States an initial concept paper33 for this focus area. 

34.  Further  activities  over  the  reporting  period  include  the  second  edition  of  the  high-level 
symposium on “Military Mobility – Transforming Ambition into Reality”, which was held on 

https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/edf-2021-

28 Joint Communication to the European Parliament and the Council Joint Framework on countering hybrid 
threats – a European Union response {JOIN/2016/018 final}. 
29 Joint Staff Working Document Fifth Progress Report on the implementation of the 2016 Joint Framework on 
countering hybrid threats and the 2018 Joint Communication on increasing resilience and bolstering capabilities 
to address hybrid threats { SWD(2021) 729 final}. 
30  Commission  Implementing  Decision  C(2021)  4910  final  of  30.6.2021  on  the  financing  of  the  European 
Defence Fund established by Regulation (EU) No 2021/697 of the European Parliament and the Council and the 
adoption of the work programme for 2021.  
31 
protmob-d-dmm;callCode=EDF-2021-PROTMOB-
;freeTextSearchKeyword=;matchWholeText=true;typeCodes=1;statusCodes=31094501,31094502,31094503;pr
ogrammePeriod=null;programCcm2Id=null;programDivisionCode=null;focusAreaCode=null;destination=null;
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sc;onlyTenders=false;topicListKey=callTopicSearchTableState  
32  The  Capability  Development  Plan  revision  approval  and  implementation,  EDA  Steering  Board  Document 
2018/15, 28 June 2018. 
33 Initial Concept Paper for the Focus Area Enhanced Military Mobility, ANNEX 7 TO EDA Chief Executive 
Communication ref: EDA202102120, 5 March 2021. 

7 

 
                                                           
6 May 2021 with the participation of the Ministers of Defence of the Netherlands, Germany, 
Portugal  and  Slovenia,  as  well  as  NATO  Deputy  Secretary  General  and  the  United  States’ 
Acting Deputy Under-Secretary of Defence for Acquisition and Sustainment34. 

VIII.  CONCLUSIONS AND WAY FORWARD 

35.  This  Joint  Report  outlines  the  very  good  progress  achieved  since  October  2020  in  the 
implementation of the Action Plan with concrete results such as the adoption of the dual-use 
transport infrastructure requirements, the call for project proposals of 16 September 2021 to 
co-fund dual-use projects as well as the forthcoming revision of the trans-European transport 
network  Regulation.  Further  work  within  the  European  Defence  Agency  framework  will 
continue  fostering  activities  to  improve  military  mobility  by  implementing  the  two  Cross-
Border Movement Permission Technical Arrangements as well as pursuing the objectives of 
the  Customs  Category  A  Programme  on  digitalisation  of  the  EU  form  302,  among  other 
activities. 

36.  As called for by the Council in its conclusions on security and defence of May 2021, further 
reflection  is  needed  among  the  relevant  actors  on  possible  new  actions  and  deliverables  to 
improve military mobility within and beyond the EU. The Strategic Compass on security and 
defence, to be adopted by the Council in March 2022, is also expected to provide guidance on 
Military Mobility. The Commission and the High Representative stand ready to work with the 
EU Member States in an inclusive and effective manner to coherently develop and implement 
the Military Mobility initiative further. 

37.  The work on Military Mobility leads to deeper cooperation amongst all EU stakeholders and 
with key partners and will deliver further concrete results in the years to come. In order for 
the  Action  Plan  to  remain  a  coherent  and  relevant  framework  for  the  ongoing  and  future 
programmes, projects, initiatives and activities related to Military Mobility, possible revisions 
and  updates  should  not  be  excluded  in  the  future.  Hence,  the  next  Progress  Report,  to  be 
presented by the High Representative and the Commission by the end of summer 2022, could 
consider additional measures to the Action Plan. 

34  The  conference  was  co-organised  by  the  Presidency  of  the  Council  of  the  EU  and  the  European  Defence 
Agency with virtual attendees from the EU Member States, EU institutions, bodies and agencies, NATO, third 
States, 
information  here:  https://eda.europa.eu/news-and-
events/news/2021/05/07/high-level-military-mobility-symposium-discussed-way-ahead  

industry,  academia  and 

tanks.  More 

think 

8