“I think it’s a wake-up call for all of us. We must reinforce our ability to defend ourselves and also to defend our values,” European Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager told reporters.

The proposals aim to identify gaps in European infrastructure — such as roads, bridges, rail lines, ports or airports incapable of handling heavy or large military equipment — for priority upgrades and to ensure guaranteed access to fuel supplies right across the continent.

They would also cut red tape by developing a joint electronic administration system to reduce the time that armed forces on the move might be caught up by border formalities or customs and tax rules. Currently, armies can face waits of at least five days to move military equipment across borders for war games and other maneuvers.