Poland, Germany and the Netherlands have signed an agreement on plans to create a “military transport corridor” that would allow troops and equipment to be moved more easily through their territories to bolster NATO’s eastern flank.
They hope the decision will be a step towards creating a broader “military Schengen” zone within Europe that would allow military personnel and equipment to be moved freely just as the existing Schengen area allows free movement of people.
A memorandum of understanding was signed in Brussels yesterday by the three countries on the sidelines of a meeting of European defence ministers.
“We need a military Schengen to move military personnel and materiel more quickly and efficiently,” tweeted Dutch defence minister Kajsa Ollongren. “This will make Europe stronger. We took an important step: Poland, Germany and the Netherlands signed a declaration to achieve a military corridor.”
“Currently, the effectiveness of military mobility is hampered by the different administrative requirements of countries,” noted her Polish counterpart, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. “In light of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, we know how important it is to move efficiently within the EU.”
“We are taking military mobility to a new level on the road to a true military Schengen,” declared Germany’s parliamentary state secretary for defence, Siemtje Möller, quoted by Polskie Radio.
The EU should just create a military to deal with this. These various ad hoc agreements are shit when having to deal with a real war.
The EU should just create a military to deal with this. These various ad hoc agreements are shit when having to deal with a real war.
Wasn’t the EU (EEC) a peace project?
Huge improvement for logistics from overseas NATO to Suwalki gap. Port of Rotterdam (NL) is the largest port in Europe.
Edit: spelling. Thanks
Suwalki, but yes.
At the same time, with the Baltic states and Finland in NATO now - and Sweden on the cusp of accession - the Suwalki Gap has become much less of a strategic bottleneck for NATO.