Poland, Germany and the Netherlands have signed an agreement on plans to create a “military transport corridor” that would allow troops and equipment to be moved more easily through their territories to bolster NATO’s eastern flank.

They hope the decision will be a step towards creating a broader “military Schengen” zone within Europe that would allow military personnel and equipment to be moved freely just as the existing Schengen area allows free movement of people.

A memorandum of understanding was signed in Brussels yesterday by the three countries on the sidelines of a meeting of European defence ministers.

“We need a military Schengen to move military personnel and materiel more quickly and efficiently,” tweeted Dutch defence minister Kajsa Ollongren. “This will make Europe stronger. We took an important step: Poland, Germany and the Netherlands signed a declaration to achieve a military corridor.”

“Currently, the effectiveness of military mobility is hampered by the different administrative requirements of countries,” noted her Polish counterpart, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. “In light of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, we know how important it is to move efficiently within the EU.”

“We are taking military mobility to a new level on the road to a true military Schengen,” declared Germany’s parliamentary state secretary for defence, Siemtje Möller, quoted by Polskie Radio.