He said this in an interview with the Financial Times.Tzitzikostas said that if NATO were forced to respond to a Russian incursion through the EU’s eastern borders, tanks could become stuck in tunnels, cause bridges to collapse, and be delayed by border bureaucracy. To address these vulnerabilities, the European Commission is preparing to allocate €17 billion to upgrade key transport infrastructure and improve military mobility.Tzitzikostas explained that they have old bridges that need to be renovated, narrow bridges that need to be widened, and in some cases, new ones must be built from scratch.He stressed that defending the continent would be impossible unless European forces can move freely across borders. He said that the reality is that it currently takes weeks, sometimes even months, to transport troops and heavy equipment from Western to Eastern Europe.Most of the EU’s civilian infrastructure was never designed to support military-grade transport. While civilian trucks are typically limited to around 40 tons, a single battle tank can weigh up to 70 tons, exceeding the load capacity of many European roads and bridges.Tzitzikostas revealed that the EU is developing a new strategy aimed at enabling the movement of troops "within hours, or at most a few days" in the event of conflict. The plan includes the modernization of 500 key transport sites along four designated military corridors. Specific project details, drawn up in cooperation with NATO and military planners, remain classified for security reasons.Brussels also intends to cut bureaucratic red tape to avoid situations where, as the commissioner put it, “tanks get stuck in paperwork” while crossing borders.The infrastructure plan, expected to be officially presented later this year, is part of broader EU preparations amid growing warnings of a potential large-scale confrontation with Moscow and anticipated reductions in the U.S. military footprint in Europe.Tzitzikostas said the mobility strategy will complement NATO’s recent commitment to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP, with 1.5% earmarked for defense and security infrastructure.He concluded that they can no longer afford to be unprepared or dependent.