Paris pushes EU to speed up military transport amid eastern flank concerns

As Russia’s war in Ukraine raises the risk of a major NATO deployment on the alliance’s eastern flank, France has warned that bureaucratic delays could hamper the rapid movement of troops and heavy equipment across Europe.

Brig. Gen. Fabrice Feola, head of France’s Centre for Operations and Transport Support, said military convoys often wait “tens of days” for cross-border clearance, far longer than the European Union’s target of five days.

“Efforts have to be optimised to ensure continuity in projection should we face a major engagement in the east,” Feola told reporters in Paris.

The EU had pledged to streamline procedures by the end of 2023, but a February report by the European Court of Auditors noted uneven progress among member states. New rules are expected later this year, with France pushing for designated corridors equipped with tunnels, bridges and roads capable of handling tanks and heavy convoys.

The scale of logistics has already grown sharply since 2022. France organised around 150 international military trains in 2024 — up from fewer than five before the war — to supply its battalion in Romania and move equipment regularly to Poland. France, along with Germany and the Netherlands, is among the few European countries with its own fleet of military rail wagons.

Feola stressed that rail remains “absolutely essential” for moving heavy weapons quickly across Europe, especially as France shifts its operational focus from Africa to Eastern Europe. He also noted that any major mobilisation would require coordination with the United States, whose forces would land in large numbers on France’s Atlantic coast before moving east.

“Speeding up authorisation times, digitising customs documents, and ensuring continuity across borders are achievable goals,” Feola said, urging the creation of a Europe-wide coordinating authority to oversee military mobility.

By Tamilla Hasanova