EU transport infrastructure not ready for war with Russia, commissioner warns
European rails and roads are not fit for a rapid deployment of troops in case of a war with Russia, EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas said in an interview with the Financial Times published on July 29.
Tzitzikostas has proposed spending 17 billion euros (around $20 billion) in the next multi-year budget to restructure the EU's transport infrastructure, allowing allied troops to respond to aggression within days or hours.
The commissioner's warning comes amid mounting concerns of a potential open armed clash between the West and Moscow and the Trump administration's plans to reduce military presence in Europe.
According to Tzitzikostas, current obstacles range from bureaucratic red tape during border crossings to roads and bridges that are physically unable to withstand moving armor.
"The reality today is that if we want to move military equipment and troops from the western side of Europe to the eastern side, it takes weeks and in some cases months," the commissioner told the Financial Times.
Tzitzikostas said the proposed strategy, to be unveiled later this year, is coordinated with NATO and aims to upgrade 500 infrastructure projects across four military corridors.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, observers have warned that European countries are ill-prepared for a prolonged conflict with Moscow after decades of disarmament.
As U.S. President Donald Trump pushes European allies to take up greater responsibility for their own defense, NATO agreed earlier this year to raise the common defense spending benchmark from 2% to 5%.
Both Western and Ukrainian leaders have warned that Moscow could launch aggression against Europe within years of concluding its war against Ukraine.
