The EU’s strategic need for military mobility has become ever more urgent in light of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the issues encountered by armed forces in this area in the EU. Today, military mobility is one of the priority elements of the EU’s defence capabilities. Its goal is to ensure swift and seamless movement of military personnel, materials and assets within and beyond the EU – at short notice and on a large scale. For the first time, the EU has a budget for military mobility, consisting mainly of €1.69 billion for dual-use infrastructure. The first EU action plan on military mobility was published in 2018, followed by a second one in 2022. The auditors looked at whether Action Plan 2.0 had been built on solid foundations and was on track to reach its goals.

Legally, territorial defence is a competence of the 27 EU member states, 23 of which are also members of NATO. However, according to the EU Treaties, “the Union’s competence in matters of common foreign and security policy shall cover all areas of foreign policy and all questions relating to the Union’s security, including the progressive framing of a common defence policy that might lead to a common defence”.

Military mobility includes harmonising rules across EU member states and exploring the potential for a civilian-military approach to infrastructure development. The EU’s multi-year budget for 2021-2027 is the first to include a dedicated budget for dual-use transport infrastructure projects, which amounts to €1.69 billion in current prices and is provided under the Connecting Europe Facility Regulation. In addition, the EU budget also finances military mobility research and development projects with the European Defence Fund.

The second action plan runs from 2022 to 2026 and is based on four main pillars: multimodal corridors and logistical hubs, resilience and preparedness, regulatory support measures, and the partnership dimension. It includes 38 actions, the majority of which are to be implemented at EU level.

Defence is also a rather new area for the EU’s auditors, but obviously one that is here to stay and will continue evolving quickly. Our first audit report in this field, published in 2023, looked closely at defence research financed by the EU budget and included a recommendation to design a long-term strategy for the European Defence Fund. In addition, earlier this year we issued an opinion concerning the European Defence Industry Programme.

We are now preparing our second special report looking at EU actions and spending on defence. The auditors are assessing whether the governance for military mobility actions and spending in the EU includes clear and suitable accountability arrangements, whether Action Plan 2.0’s design is conducive to achieving the overall aim of having a well-connected military mobility network with shorter reaction times, and whether the plan is on track to reach its objectives. The report is coming this winter – stay tuned.