JOINT REPORT TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the implementation of the Action Plan on Military Mobility 2.0 from November 2022 to October 2023
Date: 2023-11-13
Institutions: Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space, European Commission
Subjects: EU action, EU-NATO cooperation, European defence policy, European security, combined transport, dual-use technology, logistics, military cooperation, trans-European network, transport infrastructure

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION HIGH REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNION FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SECURITY POLICY Brussels, 13.11.2023  JOIN(2023) 37 final  JOINT REPORT TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the implementation of the Action Plan on Military Mobility 2.0 from November 2022 to October 2023  
 
 
JOINT REPORT TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL 

on the implementation of the Action Plan on Military Mobility 2.0 from November 2022 to 
October 2023 

I – INTRODUCTION 

1.  The  Strategic  Compass  on  Security  and  Defence1  of  March  2022  confirmed  that  substantially 
enhancing military mobility is vital for European security and defence, in particular in the context 
of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. It enables the EU Member States’ forces to respond 
quickly  and  at  the  required  scale  to  crises  erupting  at  the  EU’s  external  borders  and  beyond, 
including by moving military materiel quickly and smoothly as possible. In line with the Strategic 
Compass, the EU Action Plan on Military Mobility 2.02 provides a comprehensive framework to 
develop  a  well-connected  military  mobility  network,  with  shorter  reaction  times  and  capable, 
secure, sustainable and resilient transport infrastructure and capabilities. 

2.  This first progress report on the EU Action Plan on Military Mobility 2.0 reflects the ongoing work 
of the different Union institutions, bodies and agencies to implement the identified actions across 
the main priority areas of the Action Plan. It also encompasses, where necessary, the progress made 
in the different areas since the last progress report of the Military Mobility Action Plan of 2018, 
which was presented in September 20213. 

3.  The  Action  Plan  provides  a  strategic  approach  aiming  to  effectively  involve  a  wide  range  of 
stakeholders, including in the Member States. It thus facilitates the coherence and linkages between 
the Member States’ activities – including through the relevant different PESCO projects, notably 
on Military Mobility and Logistical Hubs4 – and EU-level work strands across the full range of 
topics. As envisaged in the Action Plan, the first ‘annual event’ on military mobility was held in 
June 2023, under the auspices of the Swedish Presidency of the Council, bringing together experts 
from EU institutions, relevant PESCO projects and partners such as NATO. 

II – MULTI-MODAL CORRIDORS AND LOGISTICAL HUBS  

A.  Dual-use transport infrastructure funding 

4.  The Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 contains a EUR 1.69 billion budget to co-fund 
dual-use transport infrastructure through the Connecting Europe Facility. In September 2021, the 
Commission  launched  the  first  call  for  project  proposals.  Initially,  it  was  planned  that  the 
Commission  would  launch  yearly  calls  for  project  proposals  with  EUR  330  million  indicative 
budgets.5 

5.  Following  Russia’s  unprovoked  aggression  against  Ukraine  the  Commission  significantly 
reinforced  its  support  to  dual-use  transport  infrastructure  for  military  mobility  accelerating  the 
evaluation of the proposals and frontloading the available budget. 

1  https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-7371-2022-INIT/en/pdf 
2 Action plan on military mobility 2.0.pdf (europa.eu) 
3 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 {JOIN(2021) 26 final}. 
4 Network of Logistic Hubs in Europe and Support to Operations 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
6.  In May 2022 the Commission awarded 22 projects for a total of EUR 339 million EU co-funding 

in 15 Member States across all transport modes6. 

7.  The Commission advanced with the second call for proposals and launched it in May 2022 again 
with a EUR 330 million indicative budget. The Member States responded to the call with increased 
interest and the requested amount for EU co-funding of EUR 1.39 billion in total, which was four 
times over the allocated budget. Owing to the high quality of the projects and the urgency to respond 
to the new geopolitical environment, the Commission selected 35 projects for a total of EUR 616 
million in EU co-funding7 in November 2022. 

8.  There are hence in total 57 ongoing projects in 18 Member States for  EUR 944 million EU co-
funding.  35% of that  amount is allocated  for rail,  28%  for road,  21%  for airports,  and  16%  for 
maritime infrastructure project. The most common types of co-funded projects include rail capacity 
improvements (mostly to ensure circulation of 740 m trains); motorway (especially viaducts and 
road bridges) and airport capacity improvements; increasing multimodal handling capabilities as 
well as enhancement of port capacity and connectivity. 

9.  A  third  and  final  call  for  proposals  was  launched  in  May  2023  with  the  deadline  for  project 
submission  in  September  2023  with  the  aim  to  use  the  remaining  budget  of  around  EUR  790 
million. The third call generated the highest interest from the Member States so far: 22 Member 
States  applied  with  112  projects  for  a  total  requested  EU  co-funding  of  EUR  3.7  billion  thus 
reaching a 4.7 oversubscription rate. The Commission is expected to publish the award Decision 
for the third call in early 2024. With the execution of the third call, it is very likely that the overall 
budget available for dual-use transport infrastructure for military mobility under this MFF will be 
exhausted. 

10.  Lastly,  in  the  Declaration  of  the  informal  Granada  European  Council  of  October  2023,  the  EU 

Leaders reconfirmed their focus on military mobility8. 

11.  On  15  June  2023,  the  European  Investment  Bank’s  Board  of  Directors  approved  the  “Strategic 
European Security Initiative PLUS”. The initiative  makes more funds available for security and 
defence investments – up to EUR 8 billion during the current multi-annual financial perspective 
period  2021-2027  with  a  wider  scope  by  including  notably  military  mobility  and  critical 
infrastructure  as  additional  areas.  The  European  Investment  Bank  acknowledges  the  changed 
geopolitical environment, which has resulted in increased financing needs in various areas related 
to European security and the defence sector including its supply chains. Given the nature of such 
assets  and  investments,  the  next step  will  be to identify  potential  projects.  Discussions  with the 
European Commission on how this area could be supported are already ongoing. 

B.  Trans-European transport networks revision 

12.  The Commission presented its proposal to revise the trans-European transport networks Regulation 
on 14 December 20219. It contains two key aspects that would facilitate military mobility within 

6 Commission Implementing Decision of 24.5.2022 on the selection of Military Mobility projects following the 
2021 call for proposals for grants under the Connecting Europe Facility - Transport sector pursuant to 
Implementing Decision C(2021) 5763, { C(2022) 3261 final}. 
7 Commission Implementing Decision of 11.4.2023 on the selection of Military Mobility projects following the 
2022 call for proposals for grants under the Connecting Europe Facility - Transport sector pursuant to 
Implementing Decision C(2021) 5763, { C(2023) 2298 final}. 
8 The Granada declaration, European Council, 6 October 2023, https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-
releases/2023/10/06/granada-declaration 
9 Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Union guidelines for the 
development of the trans-European transport network (COM(2021) 812). 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
and  beyond  the  EU:  firstly,  several transport  infrastructure  requirements, especially for rail, are 
strengthened; and secondly, the updated maps in certain instances also reflect the military needs. 
On  27  July  2022  the  Commission  presented  an  amended  proposal  reflecting  the  changed 
geopolitical situation10. 

13.  The  trans-European  transport  networks  revision  process  is  subject  to  the  ordinary  legislative 
procedure  meaning that  the  Council and the  Parliament must  agree  on the final  Regulation  text 
based on the Commission’s proposal. The Council agreed on the General Approach on 5 December 
202211.  Meanwhile,  the  European  Parliament  adopted  its  report  and  negotiation  mandate  on  13 
April 202312. It contains a proposal for a new Article 47a on military mobility. In particular, the 
Article would require the Member States to consider military mobility needs when constructing or 
upgrading infrastructure on the trans-European transport network13. In addition, the new Article 
would commit the Commission to carry out a study concerning short-notice large-scale military 
movements14. 

14.  Until present, four political trilogues by the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission 
have  been  held  with  the  expectation  that  the  negotiations  could  be  concluded  by  the  Spanish 
Presidency of the Council by the end of 2023 and the Regulation could enter into force in the spring 
of 2024.  

C.  Military Requirements 

15.  With  a  view  to  further  aligning  standards  of  the  trans-European  transport  network  and  the  EU 
military  transport  network,  on  23  October  2023  the  Council  has  adopted  the  revised  military 
requirements including the Annex II “Multi-Modal Transport Corridors”. The revision process also 
included  consultations  with  NATO.  The  enlarged  scope  of  military  requirements  encompasses 
logistic  hubs,  fuel  supply-chain  infrastructure,  lesson  identified  on  Russia’s  war  of  aggression 
against Ukraine and military criteria for the evaluation of dual-use infrastructure project proposals. 

16.  The new annex on Fuel-Supply Chain Infrastructure15 outlines the technical specifications for fuel 
systems, facilities, and equipment to ensure that they are capable of effectively supporting large-
scale military movements while maintaining interoperability with strategic partners, such as NATO. 
It contains the same requirements as the standards used by NATO, which were shared with the EU 
Military  Staff  (EUMS).16  Becoming  part  of  the  Military  Requirements,  this  annex  opens  a 
possibility  for  potential  future  co-funding  of  dual-use  fuel-supply  chain  infrastructure  projects 
under  the  Connecting  Europe  Facility,  to  incentivise  the  Member  States  to  invest  in  their  fuel 
supply-chain infrastructure. 

10 Amended proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Union guidelines for 
the development of the trans-European transport network, amending Regulation (EU) 2021/1153 and Regulation 
(EU) No 913/2010 and repealing Regulation (EU) 1315/2013 (COM/2022/384 final). 
11 https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-15058-2022-INIT/en/pdf 
12 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2023-0147_EN.html#_section1 
13 “1. When constructing or upgrading infrastructure on the trans-European transport network, Member States 
shall assess the need, relevance and feasibility to go beyond the requirements set out in Chapter III, for the 
purpose of accommodating the weight, size or scale of military transport of troops and material.” 
14 “2. By ... [one year after the entry into force of this Regulation], the Commission shall carry out a study to 
identify possibilities for short-notice large-scale movements across the Union, including strategic routes, in view 
of improving the dual-use of the infrastructure of the trans-European transport network. The study shall provide 
elements for long-term infrastructure planning for dual use mobility purposes. In the course of that study, the 
Commission shall consult the Member States.” 
15 See ‘Military Requirements for Military Mobility within and beyond the EU’, ST 10440/23, Annex XI, 
endorsed by the Council of the EU 23 October 2023 (TBD). 
16 Document ‘NATO Technical Criteria and Standards for Pol Facilities’, “AC/4-N(2017)0002 (INV)”, dated 19 
January 2017, amended on 09 June 2023. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
D.  Long-term  infrastructure  planning  for  short-notice  and  large-scale  movements  of 

military forces 

17.  Commission services together with the European External Action Service  (EEAS) including the 
EUMS have provided the Member States with an explanatory note on the approach methodology 
and timetable of a study to identify possibilities for short-notice, large-scale movements to improve 
fuel resilience, long-term infrastructure planning and optimal use of this infrastructure. The work 
on the study has been initiated and should be completed by spring 2024. The first step which was 
launched in July this year and is currently ongoing in close cooperation with Member States will 
identify the main corridors for short-notice and large-scale movements of military personnel and 
materiel in case of a conflict or for military exercises. The second step will be to identify the gaps 
in the infrastructure on the main corridors defined as priority for military movements. In the third 
step, actions will need to be identified to mitigate the gaps and ensure that military personnel and 
materiel  can  move  smoothly.  With  the  overall  aim  to  better  prioritize  necessary  investments 
promoting short notice large scale military movements, the study supports the objective to build a 
well-structured network, including capacity to transport and store dangerous goods and have fuel 
available in the right quantities.  

18.  This work will increase the synergies between the TEN-T policy and EU Military Mobility while 
using scarce resources in the most efficient way. The identified actions to mitigate the gaps and to 
reinforce military mobility will serve as an important input for future co-funding under the CEF as 
well as for the Member States’ national investment priorities. The analysis will also serve as a basis 
for the European Investment Bank to identify, in close cooperation with the Commission, dual-use 
projects with high added value for defence. 

19.  The  analysis  will  also  allow  the  Member  States  to  better  coordinate  their  planning  with  other 
Member  States  to  ensure  the  same  infrastructure  quality  on  the  entire  corridor  stretching  over 
several Member States. It will also lead to better coordination between the Ministries of Defence 
and the Ministries of Infrastructure of the Member States. Moreover, the analysis will contribute to 
closer cooperation and synchronization among the Member States when investing in infrastructure 
thus  promoting  better  connectivity  in  handling  large  scale  military  movements  at  the  European 
level.   

E.  Access to airspace and airspace navigation services (SES and SESAR)  

20. The European Defence Agency (EDA) and the relevant Commission services have continued their 

cooperation in ensuring access to airspace and air navigation services for civil and military 
aviation in the context of the Single European Sky (SES) and the related air traffic management 
modernisation project (SESAR). Any lack of interoperability between military and civil systems 
might create risks for the military in terms of access to airspace and use of navigation services. In 
some cases, this might also be a challenge, in particular when the military is providing services to 
the civil users. The inclusion of aviation and air traffic management into the Military Mobility 
initiative, as reflected in the latest update of the Military Requirements17, is a recognition of their 
importance to overcome interoperability gaps. Subject to a future update of the Implementing 
Regulation on dual-use requirements18, this would allow in the future the military aviation 
community to take part in Connecting Europe Facility military mobility calls for proposals. 

17 Revised Annex II of the Military Requirements for Military Mobility within and beyond the EU (ST 11373/19) 
of 27 March 2023. 
18  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. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Moreover, the growing importance of dual use equipment will need to take into account the role 
of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) as the civil certification authority.  

III – REGULATORY SUPPORT MEASURES 

A. Cross-border movement permissions  

21.  The  EDA  A-Programme  on  “Optimising  Cross-Border  Movement  Permission  Procedures  in 
Europe”  harmonises  and  simplifies  procedures  and  develops  solutions  within  the  contributing 
Member States’ territories, airspaces, and inland waters. On 12 September 2023, Denmark became 
the latest signatory of the two Technical Arrangements: one for the surface and another for the air 
domain. Thus, the Technical Arrangements for the surface and air domains are now signed by 25 
contributing  Member  States,  including  Norway.  Currently,  the  contributing  Member  States  are 
developing, with support from the EDA, a Technical Arrangement to address the maritime domain, 
with the signature procedure expected to be launched in the beginning of 2024.  

22.  To support the implementation of the signed Technical Arrangements, the EDA has developed an 
Implementation  Monitoring  Matrix  (IMM)  which  allows  to  monitor  the  progress  of  the 
implementation of the various activities under the Arrangements. Moreover, a network of national 
points of contact for military mobility will provide valuable feedback from the Member States in 
view of future amendments. The EDA will work together with EU Member States to organise a 
tabletop  exercise  or  workshop  which  will  facilitate  the  full  implementation  of  the  Technical 
Arrangements and also test the developed template for annual permission for the Surface Technical 
Arrangements. 

23.  To  explore  the  possibilities  of  bringing  together  the  PESCO  projects  “Military  Mobility”  and 
“Network  of  Logistic  Hubs”,  the  EDA  organised  a first  meeting  with  the  coordinating  Member 
States on 5 July 2023. Based on the outcomes, the EDA will further investigate possibilities together 
with  the  participating  Member  States.  Furthermore,  the  projects  have  agreed  to  ensure  cross-
participation in their meetings to promote synergies and coordination.  

B. Digitalisation of logistical processes 

24.  The  2021  annual  work  programme  of  the  European  Defence  Fund  included  a  proposal  for  the 
development of a digital system for the quick and secure exchange of information related to military 
mobility (hereafter SDMMS). The Commission announced the winning bidder on 21 July 2022: it 
is a consortia led by Estonia consisting of companies from 9 Member States19 plus Norway that will 
receive a funding of more than EUR 9 million for the development of the digital system. The grant 
agreement was signed in late December 2022 and in January 2023, the first kick-off meeting took 
place. The overall duration of the project is 30 months, thus the digital system for the secure and 
quick exchange of information related to military mobility should be available by mid-2025. This 
digital  system  will  facilitate  direct  and  secure  exchange  of  information  between  participating 
governments requesting and approving any military movement. 

25.  The main focus of the SDMMS project during the first year has been on setting up work structure 
and getting all stakeholders fully integrated to the project. By the end of the first project year, the 
goal is to agree on all the functional and non-functional requirements to set the detailed goals and 
plans for the project implementation phase. Additionally, the operational benefits and cost plan will 
be developed in order to better assess the values of the changes that will be introduced to the system. 
All of this is the important base for the upcoming development of the whole system. 

19 Lithuania, Germany, Estonia, Bulgaria, Poland, Luxembourg, Romania, Czech Republic, Latvia 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
C. Customs 

26.  Together with the Commission and the contributing Member States, the  EDA is working on the 
revision of the “Assessment of the needs, gains and risks for the development of a Military Customs 
System  (MCS)”  which  will  be  the  basis  for  all  further  efforts.  In  parallel,  the  Commission  is 
expecting the first tangible results of the SDMMS project before starting with the preparation of 
legal amendments to the EU Customs Legislation. Legal amendments will ensure that there is a 
legal framework for the use of the system by the Member States and that the system is aligned with 
the customs procedures as established in the EU Customs Legislation. 

D. Enhanced Logistics 

27.  In  view  of delivering  a  concept  for an  EU-wide  logistics  IT network to  enable the exchange  of 
logistic data amongst various participants, the EDA presented in the first half of 2023 the findings 
of  a  study  that  mapped  national  logistics  IT  systems  and  Enterprise  Resource  Planning  (ERP) 
software, including national Track & Trace capabilities and other IT applications such as NATO 
Logistics Functional Area Services (LOGFAS). The findings of the study will serve as a basis for 
a second study aiming to provide a concept how to establish a federated logistic communication 
network.   

28.  In relation to the use of Additive Manufacturing – commonly known as 3D printing in the context 
of military logistics – the recently established EDA Category B Project “Additive Manufacturing 
for  Logistic  support”  aims  to  elaborate  and  determine  common  standards  in  view  of  enhancing 
interoperability. In support of these activities, the EDA has conducted various studies which were 
presented in the course of 2023. In this regard, one of the studies provided a guideline for Armed 
Forces from a legal perspective to use AM solutions in different military scenarios.     

IV – RESILIENCE AND PREPAREDNESS 

A.  Strategic lift capabilities 

29.  In line with the Strategic Compass20, the EU Member States agreed to reinforce cooperation and 
coordination in the air domain by developing the ability to jointly undertake air security operations, 
including air support, rescue and evacuation, surveillance and disaster relief tasks. To facilitate the 
coordinated use of military air assets in support of CSDP missions and operations, EU Member 
States  also  intend  to  strengthen  the  collaboration  and  partnership  between  EU  and  multilateral 
structures and initiatives in the air domain, such as the European Air Transport Command (EATC). 
In  this  regard,  the  EUMS  and  the  participating  nations  of  the  EATC21  signed  a  Technical 
Arrangement  (TA)  on  28 June  2023.  This  TA  standardises  the  procedures  to  facilitate  EUMS’ 
access to EATC air transport services in favor of EU military CSDP Missions and Operations for 
strategic aeromedical evacuation and air transport. In case of urgency, other EU actors, e.g. Civilian 
Planning and Conduct Capability for civilian CSDP Missions and the Crisis Response Centre in 
case of a consular crisis could also take advantage of these procedures. The seven EATC nations 
have earmarked Equivalent Flying Hours (EFH) at the disposal of EUMS at no cost on a voluntary 
basis in order to test these procedures for one year.   

20 A Strategic Compass for Security and Defence - For a European Union that protects its citizens, values and 
interests and contributes to international peace and security, ST 7371/22, dated 21 March 2022. 
21 BE, DE, ES, FR, IT, LU and NL. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  cooperation  between  EUMS  and  EATC  will  serve  as  a  first  step  for  a  deeper  cooperation 
between the two entities. Additionally, this TA can stand as a role model for other projects and 
initiatives, such as the facilitation of the deployment for the EU Rapid Deployment Capacity22. 

30.  Work has continued in the EDA framework to develop the necessary sea and air transport/air lift 
capabilities, in line with the 2020 Report on the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence and in 
association  with  relevant  PESCO  projects.  The  project  on  Future  Mid-size  Tactical  Cargo  is 
developing an industrial development guidance document as well as a study to be funded under the 
2022 European Defence Fund Work Programme. The project on Strategic Air Transport Outsized 
Cargo is developing the high-level common requirements while the call for a study in this domain 
under the 2023 European Defence Fund Work Programme is open for project proposals. The project 
on Next Generation Medium Helicopter started in June 2023 and is currently collecting Member 
States’ inputs for their future plans for helicopters, both in terms of upgrading the existing fleets 
and developing new platforms. 

31.  With regard to the military need for specialised rail transport, a collaborative effort between EU 
Member States, the Commission and the EDA has led to the inclusion of provisions in the Proposal 
for a Regulation on the use of railway infrastructure capacity23 that would allow for prioritisation 
of military movements under certain conditions. Additionally, the EDA will soon launch a study on 
EU Rail Capacity to provide an overview of the existing capacity of national and commercial rail 
assets used by the military with the aim to define possible requirements for specialised rail transport 
assets and rail infrastructure for military use.  

B.  Protection against security risks  

32.  Following  the  request  of  the  Council24,  the  Commission,  the  Network  and  Information  Systems 
(NIS) Cooperation Group and the EEAS are developing cybersecurity risk scenarios.  The initial 
focus is on the telecommunications and the electricity sector. However, other critical sectors, such 
as transport, will be assessed in future editions of the exercise. A resilient and robust data sharing 
network with a high level of cybersecurity is necessary to support an effective sharing of digital 
data among relevant civilian and military stakeholders and operators. Such network could leverage 
EU infrastructure such as the Union Secure Connectivity Programme (IRIS²). 

33.  In January 2023, the Directive on the resilience of critical entities (CER) 25 entered into force. 

While defence is outside of its scope, it will enhance the physical resilience of entities operating 
critical infrastructure in 11 sectors, including transport by road, rail, air and sea. Therefore, it 
contributes to ensuring the provision of essential services in the transport sector needed also for 
military mobility. A key pillar of the new CER-framework is the Critical Entities Resilience 
Group, in which Member State experts and Commission services discuss inter-alia threats to 
critical infrastructure. As a response to the heightened threat of sabotage in relation with the 
Russian war against Ukraine, the Council adopted furthermore a Recommendation on a 
coordinated approach to strengthen the resilience of critical infrastructure in December 202226. 

22 EU is developing the Rapid Deployment Capacity (EU RDC) consisting of up to 5000 troops. This EU RDC 
will be a robust, flexible and scalable military instrument adding to the EU’s broad crisis management toolbox. 
23 Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the use of railway infrastructure 
capacity in the single European railway area, amending Directive 2012/34/EU and repealing Regulation (EU) 
No 913/2010 (COM/2023/443 final). 
24 Council conclusions on the development of the European Union's Cyber Posture; ST09364/22, 23 May 2022 
25 Directive (EU) 2022/2557 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 on the 
resilience of critical entities 
26 Council Recommendation of 8 December 2022 on a Union-wide coordinated approach to strengthen the 
resilience of critical infrastructure. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Transport has been identified as one of the four key sectors which the Recommendation 
addresses. 

34.  In June 2023, the EDA and the relevant Commission services presented the results of a research 
study that assesses the impacts of climate change on defence-related critical energy infrastructure27, 
including transportation. In the context of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the 
Defence and Security Sector, work has continued to explore how to increase the use of renewable 
energy sources in transportation, including, for example, by analysing the military requirements 
with  respect to  hydrogen-based  solutions  for  heavy  military  logistic  vehicles  and  infrastructure. 
Moreover,  in  May  2023,  the  EDA  and  the  relevant  Commission  services  organised  a  table-top 
exercise to assess the impact of climate change and the transition to green energy on the resilience 
and energy security of defence-related critical energy infrastructure, including the military transport 
infrastructure and capabilities of the Member States.  

35.  The EDA continuously highlighted the need for a resilient and robust data sharing network with a 
high level of cybersecurity that supports an effective sharing of digital data among relevant civilian 
and military stakeholders and operators. 

36.  In  line  with  the  Joint  Communication  on  a  New  Outlook  on  the  Climate  and  Security  Nexus, 
adopted in June 202328, the EEAS, Commission services and the EDA will analyse ways to reduce 
reliance on fossil fuels in military transportation by promoting the adoption of renewable energy 
sources and associated technologies.  

V – PARTNERSHIPS 

A.  EU-NATO 

37.  The third EU-NATO Joint Declaration, signed on 10 January 2023 in Brussels29, acknowledges the 
results which the EU and NATO have achieved on Military Mobility. The EU-NATO Structured 
Dialogue  continues  to  convene  regularly  to  bring  together  all  relevant  staffs  from  the  two 
organisations. It has proved to be an effective framework to present the new EU Action Plan and 
discuss  relevant  areas  of  further  cooperation,  with  a  view  to  ensuring  coherence  and  mutual 
reinforcement.  In-depth  expert-level  exchanges  have  been  held  notably  with  a  focus  on  cyber 
resilience  and  transport  infrastructure  allowing  each  side  to  better  understand  their  respective 
priorities.  Furthermore, NATO representatives  participated in the first annual Military Mobility 
event  in  June  2023  and  NATO’s  Joint  Support  Enablement  Command  takes  part  in  relevant 
meetings of the PESCO project on Military Mobility on an informal basis.  

38.  The participation of non-EU NATO Allies in relevant PESCO projects continues to provide added 
value, including from a transatlantic and EU-NATO perspective. In addition to the United States, 
Canada and Norway, the Council authorised the invitation of the United Kingdom to participate in 
the Military  Mobility  PESCO  project in  November  2022.  The  conclusion  of  the  Administrative 
Arrangement with the project is in its final stages. Furthermore, in March 2023, the Council agreed 
to  invite  Canada  to  join  the  PESCO  Project  Network  Logistical  Hubs.  The  Administrative 
Arrangement for Canada’s participation is in the final stages of agreement as well. Representatives 
of these partners have already been invited to take part in the meetings of the respective projects 
pending the finalisation of the legal arrangements. 

27 https://eda.europa.eu/publications-and-data/impacts-of-climate-change-on-defence-related-critical-energy-
infrastructure 
28 Joint Communication to the European Parliament and the Council: a new outlook on the climate and security 
nexus: addressing the impact of climate change and environmental degradation on peace, security and defence 
{JOIN(2023) 19 final}. 
29 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2023/01/10/eu-nato-joint-declaration-10-january-
2023/ 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
39.  In January 2023, the President of the European Commission and the Secretary General of NATO 
announced the establishment of a dedicated NATO-EU Task Force on the resilience of critical 
infrastructure. The EU-NATO Task Force on resilience of critical infrastructure presented on 29 
June 2023 an assessment report which maps out the current security challenges and presents 
recommendations to strengthen critical infrastructure resilience. It includes transport in the four 
key sectors (alongside energy, digital and space) on which cooperation should be strengthened 
and references the Structured Dialogue on Military Mobility. It specifically recommends 
enhanced cooperation related to transport infrastructure for the purpose of accommodating the 
weight, size or scale of military transport.  

B.  Connecting to other partners 

40.  As part of the trans-European transport networks revision process, referred to above, the amended 
proposal extends the European Transport Corridors (in the current Regulation called Core Network 
Corridors) to Ukraine and Moldova. The extension of the Corridors builds on the Union’s other 
efforts  to  strengthen  these  countries’  transport  connectivity  with  the  EU,  such  as  the  Solidarity 
Lanes initiative launched in May 2022 by the Commission to help Ukraine keep its trade routes 
open following Russia’s blockade of the Ukrainian ports. 

VI – CONCLUSIONS AND WAY FORWARD 

41.  One year after the launch of the Action Plan on Military 2.0, relevant actions have been launched 
across  the  four  main  priority  areas,  demonstrating  continued  progress  and  reflecting  the  shared 
sense of urgency in light of the deteriorating security context. To achieve the common objective of 
a well-functioning military mobility network, all relevant stakeholders are invited to continue their 
respective  actions  as  part  of  a  coordinated  whole-of-government  approach.  An  updated  and 
enhanced  military  mobility  pledge  by  the  Member  States,  if  so  decided  by  the  Council,  would 
further contribute this aim, building on the work of relevant PESCO projects within the wider scope 
of the Action Plan on Military Mobility 2.0.  

42.  The next Progress Report will be presented by the High Representative and the Commission by the 

end of November 2024.