Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) is urging the rapid harmonisation of key legal frameworks across Europe that govern military infrastructure.

He told the weekday edition of “Handelsblatt” that moving troops and equipment today can take no less than 45 days to secure cross‑border permits. “We need to bring that down to three days, and at worst, it must be possible immediately” he said.

Schnieder sees progress in national initiatives such as the planned Infrastructure Future Act, which aims to speed up procedures. Digitalising the planning approval process alone could save 30 percent of the time, and eliminating preliminary spatial planning procedures would help if states allow objection periods to lapse. “This is one of the most important pieces of legislation of this legislative period” Schnieder added.