In a report published on Wednesday 5 February, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) found that the EU’s action plan on military mobility, published in November 2022 (see EUROPE 13061/3), “was not built on sufficiently solid foundations”.
“The Commission allocated the available funds without carrying out an in-depth needs assessment at the outset. As a result, it was unable to estimate a budget commensurate with the objectives”, highlighted ECA President, Tony Murphy.
According to the ECA, progress towards achieving the plan’s objectives is variable, and the plan is neither sufficiently focused nor operational, with far too many actions. “The selection of dual-use infrastructure projects for EU funding did not take sufficient account of geopolitical factors”, explained Mr Murphy. “What is particularly worrying is that the projects have been selected in a piecemeal fashion, project by project. It was a question of improving a few isolated parts of a corridor, but not necessarily in the most strategic locations, and without taking account of the wider situation”, he lamented.
The Commission has allocated the military mobility budget, of around €1.7 billion, to 95 dual-use projects in 21 Member States.
The ECA recommends improving governance arrangements by the end of 2025, by simplifying coordination between the EU, Member States and other stakeholders, for example by designating a single point of contact where appropriate, and by strengthening existing synergies and interactions to reduce the risk of overlap.
The progress of each action in the plan should also be monitored and reported (see EUROPE 13296/16).
The Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) should focus actions on improving infrastructure, clear measures for faster cross-border movement and enhanced cyber-security, as well as defining indicators, target values and deadlines wherever possible.
The ECA recommends assessing the possibility of using calls under the Connecting Europe Facility – Transport to finance dual-use infrastructure projects under the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). “With no money left (for military mobility), there could be a gap of more than four years until the next budget period”, warned Mr Murphy.
By 2027 at the latest, the Commission and EEAS should take steps to improve the predictability of potential funding for military mobility and the selection process for dual-use infrastructure projects under the next MFF.
A spokesperson for the European Commission announced that it would act on the Court’s recommendations.
Regarding the ‘lack of coordination’, the Commission supported a whole-of-government approach. “This means that we will have to focus on regulatory aspects, infrastructure investment requirements and military mobility resources, and work on these issues in close cooperation with NATO”, explained the spokesperson.
The Commission and the Member States are also carrying out an assessment of investment needs, which will guide the implementation of military mobility projects.
See the report: https://aeur.eu/f/fd9 (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)