Tag: European Commission

EU Moots ‘Military Schengen’ for Mobility Across Europe

Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, High Representative Kaja Kallas, Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism | Photo: European Union

The European Commission and the High Representative have introduced a military mobility package aimed at enabling fast, coordinated movement of troops across Europe by 2027, alongside a Defence Industry Transformation Roadmap to strengthen innovation and production capacity. The proposals include harmonised cross-border procedures, new emergency transport mechanisms, infrastructure upgrades and measures to accelerate defence technology development across the EU.

EU clears €150B SAFE fund for defence loans

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, participates in the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France on 11 March, 2025 | Photo: Christophe Licoppe/EC - Audiovisual Service/European Union

The €150 billion SAFE fund will come into force on May 29, offering loans to EU states for defence procurement, that will require 65 percent of all purchases to be of European origin, with contractors required to fully control design to avoid new dependencies.