Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania agreed Friday to establish a Baltic Military Mobility Area (MMA) to streamline troop and equipment movement between the three countries, removing peacetime restrictions and bureaucratic hurdles.
Baltic States Create ‘Military Schengen’ Zone
The defense ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – Hanno Pevkur, Andris Sprūds, and Robertas Kaunas, respectively – signed a joint declaration of intent in Tallinn to create the regional military mobility area. The initiative is modeled after the European Union’s Schengen Zone, which allows for free movement of citizens.
Ministers emphasized the MMA is intended for peacetime use, aiming to eliminate cumbersome restrictions that slow down the movement of troops and equipment between countries and NATO allies. “The point of the ‘military schengen’ is that we do not have any bureaucracy, any paperwork that needs to be done when militaries are moving from one European country to another,” Pevkur said.
Currently, differing bureaucratic standards across NATO countries can delay proceedings for “months,” according to Pevkur. He noted that even routine exercises require significant paperwork.
The MMA will allow, for example, Lithuanian tanks to move freely to defend Riga, Estonian artillery to support Vilnius, and Latvian forces to strengthen Tallinn, Kaunas explained. “In times of crisis, every hour matters, and bureaucracy and borders can slow down our defense and deterrence,” he added.
Kaunas also stressed that Russia’s threat to the region is “real and long-term,” and that the Baltic states invest heavily in defense “not because we want war, but because we want peace.” Sprūds said the area is designed for “countermobility against any potential aggressor countries” while improving mobility for allies.
The mobility area will encompass land, sea, air, and cyber domains, according to Sprūds. He also highlighted the importance of a Europe-wide military Schengen area to facilitate rapid troop and equipment deployment to the eastern flank in the event of an attack. “Military mobility is crucial in critical times,” he said.
The European Commission last year identified roads, bridges, railways, and paperwork as impediments to swift military movement across borders, noting that some countries require 45 days’ advance notice for military equipment to cross their territory. Significant barriers to effective military mobility persist due to divergent, fragmented, and non-harmonized national rules.
Pevkur acknowledged that removing existing barriers has taken four years since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but stated that several projects are underway. He identified customs procedures as the most challenging aspect, requiring cooperation from other European countries.
Pevkur pointed out that NATO battlegroups in the Baltic states comprise personnel and equipment from multiple nations, and that paperwork can currently take months to resolve. Kaunas added that Lithuania is already working on the issue with Germany and Poland, and expressed optimism that improvements will be seen soon.
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