Kubilius speaks about need to simplify movement of troops and military equipment across EU member state borders

Kubilius stated this at the Military Mobility and Resilience Forum, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He noted that there is no credible deterrence without military mobility, adding that military mobility determines whether European solidarity and collective defense are theoretical or real and effective.

"So imagine you're a commander of a division – tens of thousands of soldiers. Thousands of vehicles. If today, you get the order to move out you will also get a very big headache. Your tanks and soldiers are tied down by red tape. We now have freedom of movement in Europe, but not if you're a soldier. Some Member States ask for 45 days advance notice, for troop movements. Customs officials in one Member State once stopped allied tanks from moving across. Why? Because they were heavier than road traffic rules allowed. So they had to be transported by sea instead. Taking weeks instead of days," he said.

He also complained about differing rules for military movements at national and regional levels.

"While European soldiers fill out papers, Russian soldiers fill the Suwalki gap!" Kubilius warned. "Our peacetime rulebook is not fit for military mobility. Neither is our peacetime infrastructure. It could take weeks or even months to move troops from one end of Europe to the other. That will not deter Putin, that will invite Putin," he stated.

He believes that to deter Russia, it is necessary to create a military Schengen zone.

Kubilius recalled that last November the European Commission presented a Military Mobility Package with binding EU rules to replace the chaotic patchwork of 27 different national regulations with a single, clear European rulebook, simplified customs formalities, and a unified notification procedure for movements.

"We're cutting movement from weeks and months, to days and hours," he said.

"In time of emergency: No more permits to move soldiers. Enough to notify the country, which you need to cross. And in peacetime: one single European permit. Valid for the entire European Union. To be issued within three days at most. And to speed things up: a new digital platform for cross-border transport permissions and customs formalities," Kubilius said.

As previously reported, on February 11 the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the EU's strategic defense and security partnerships, in which Ukraine was named a priority strategic partner and proposals were made to formalize cooperation with it in the field of security and defense.