Europe’s roads, railways and bridges are not suitable for rapid movement of tanks, troops and weapons in case of war with Russia, - EU Transport Commissioner Tzitzikostas
Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the head of the EU's transport agency, said that in order to increase military mobility, it is necessary to modernise Europe's transport infrastructure.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by the Financial Times.
He noted that if NATO tanks have to be deployed to respond to the invasion of Russian troops across the EU's eastern border, they will get stuck in tunnels, cause bridges to collapse and get bogged down in border procedures.
"We have old bridges that need to be modernised. We have narrow bridges that need to be widened. And we have non-existent bridges that need to be built," Tzitzikostas said.
The Commissioner added that it is impossible to defend the continent if European armies cannot move quickly.
"The reality today is that if we want to move military equipment and troops from the western part of Europe to the eastern part of Europe, it will take weeks, and in some cases months," he said.
Most of the existing infrastructure in the EU is not designed for the movement of troops. For example, trucks on European roads typically weigh up to 40 tonnes, while a tank can weigh up to 70 tonnes.
The EU is developing a strategy that will allow troops to respond to an attack within hours, or at most a few days, by upgrading 500 infrastructure sites along four military corridors that run across the continent. These projects, agreed with NATO and the Alliance's military command, remain classified for security reasons.
Brussels also plans to simplify bureaucratic procedures to avoid "tanks getting stuck in paperwork" when crossing the border.
The strategy, to be presented by the EU transport chief later this year, is part of a wider effort to prepare for a possible war on the continent, amid warnings of a possible wider confrontation with Moscow and a planned reduction in the US presence in Europe.
