Source: European Parliament
The Commission recognises the critical role of high-quality infrastructure in ensuring connectivity and rapid response to crises at the EU’s borders.
In the Multiannual financial framework ( MFF) 2021-2027 negotiations, the Commission initially proposed EUR 6.5 billion for dual-use transport infrastructure under Connecting Europe Facility — Transport (CEF-T), but the final budget concluded by the Member States in the Council was reduced to EUR 1.7 billion.
Since the adoption of the current MFF, geopolitical circumstances have changed significantly. In response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the Commission accelerated the implementation of the military mobility budget, fully allocating it over three calls (2021 -2023), supporting 95 projects in 21 Member States.
The 2023 call alone saw funding requests totalling EUR 3.7 billion, demonstrating the increased urgency and the scale of investment needs.
To enhance coordination and prioritisation, the Commission, in cooperation with the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), identified four EU military mobility corridors, endorsed by the EU Military Committee in October 2024.
These corridors were included in the revised Annex II to the Military Requirements for Military Mobility[1], adopted by the Council on 17 March 2025.
Work is ongoing to assess main bottlenecks and investment needs on these corridors, particularly for short-term upgrades to enhance resilience and adapt to dual-use standards (e.g. rail capacity increase, tunnel widening, bridge reinforcements).
- [1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=celex:52025JC0011