The need for Europe to accelerate the strengthening of its defense capability and create pan-European infrastructure and capabilities that can be protected in the event of a crisis was highlighted by the Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias, on the sidelines of a discussion in which he participated today, Tuesday, September 29, 2026, in Brussels on the subject of Military Mobility, as part of the event "Connecting Europe Days - Europe's Mobility and Transport Flagship Event".
As he underlined, Europe has been delayed and “we must move very quickly,” while he set as a broader goal the creation of a “pan-European defense.”
Asked whether Europe is at the point it should be regarding military mobility and defense, Nikos Dendias, after initially thanking the Greek Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Mr. Apostolos Tzitzikostas, and the Commissioner for Defence and Space, Mr. Andrius Kubilius, for the initiative, made a brief historical review, noting that during the 1980s Europe believed that NATO would undertake its defense and, in practice, the United States.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, he added, the perception of the “end of History” prevailed and the belief that Europe did not need to defend itself.
According to him, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a “wake-up call”, bringing Europe back to reality. The new situation, as he said, requires the defense of European territory, something that cannot be achieved without the ability to rapidly move forces and means.
Mr. Dendias linked military mobility to the historical experience of the Roman Empire, noting that the ability to quickly move the legions was based on its extensive road network. Today, as he said, the European Union, with a population many times larger and an economy of almost 20 trillion euros, has fewer kilometers of railway lines than the kilometers of roads the Romans had.
Europe, according to Mr. Dendias, is now trying to bridge this gap, with the approach needing to cover “the full spectrum of threats, across a 360-degree range.”
Military mobility, he noted, does not concern only today’s threat from Russia, but also the challenges of the future, while he warned that strengthening European defense will have a cost, which he nevertheless described as necessary.
“We are doing the right thing. We have been delayed, so we must move very quickly,” was his conclusion.
In response to a question about whether there is sufficient European coordination to make up for lost ground in military mobility infrastructure, Mr. Dendias replied that important work is being done, but not without prerequisites. At the same time, he acknowledged the efforts of the two Commissioners and placed particular emphasis on the need to take into account the defense of the infrastructure being created.
The critical question, according to the minister, is who will be responsible for defending pan-European infrastructure, estimating that “cooperation is already significant, but it must go further, with structures that respond to today’s needs.”
At the same time, he rejected the notion that a stronger European defense structure would function competitively toward NATO. On the contrary, he argued that it should function “complementarily to NATO,” which, as he said, should remain in Europe and participate in common defense.
In this context, he spoke in favor of strengthening the Military Committee and its work, as well as the further reinforcement of the initiatives of the two Commissioners.
Asked to clarify whether he supports the creation of new European structures, the minister made clear that he is not proposing the creation of new structures, but the strengthening of the existing ones. In particular, he spoke of the evolution of the Military Committee into an institution with “greater capabilities and more powers.”
Asked whether Europe is at the desired level regarding the defense of its infrastructure, Mr. Dendias’s answer was categorical: “No, we are not where we should be. On the contrary, we are far from it.”
In this context, he proposed that Greece be used as an example for the development of European defense capabilities, since, as he underlined, the country faces a particularly difficult security environment. As he said, the threat is not limited to Russia and the war in Ukraine, but concerns Europe’s neighborhood as a whole.
“Greece has our neighboring Turkey, which constitutes a threat to us”, a neighbor with whom coexistence is very difficult,” Mr. Dendias said, adding that “Iran is much closer to us. The Sahel, which today constitutes a refuge for terrorists, is much closer to us. Libya, a failed state, is much closer to us. Syria was, until very recently, a failed state and we do not know what its course will be. Lebanon is also very close.”
Based on this picture, the minister described the region as “an extremely difficult neighborhood” and presented the Greek plan “Achilles’ Shield,” a comprehensive defense system that covers, as he explained, five levels: land, sea, air, cyberspace, and Space.
Mr. Dendias argued that this logic should acquire a pan-European dimension. He even raised the question of who could deal with a ballistic threat against a small European country, such as Cyprus, if that particular state does not itself possess the required anti-ballistic capabilities.
“We must do it at a pan-European level. That is the only way,” he stressed.
At the same time, he warned that tomorrow’s challenges may be even more complex, as capabilities that today are possessed only by powerful military forces may, through artificial intelligence, pass into the hands of terrorist organizations and non-state actors.
For this reason, he argued that the protection of the European project requires “a holistic approach” and cannot be addressed by each country separately. His overall proposal, as he said, goes beyond strengthening the EU Military Committee and extends as far as the creation of a “pan-European defense.”
“This is how I envision the Europe of the future,” he said, while also acknowledging that such a development cannot be realized immediately and will have a significant cost. He estimated, however, that this is a coherent idea that could become the subject of adoption by Europe’s younger generations.
Turning to his Greek capacity, Mr. Dendias clarified that, as Defence Minister of a European state, he cannot speak on behalf of a European institution. He proposed, however, that Greece be used as an example for the development of European military mobility and resilience.
As he said, Greece can serve as a characteristic example, as it is close to the main current European defense challenge, the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In this context, he underlined the strategic importance of Alexandroupoli, which he described as “the closest port to the Ukrainian front.”
The strengthening of resilience and related capabilities in Greece, but also along the corridor connecting the country to the North via Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova, could, according to the minister, serve as an example of how Europe can simultaneously develop interconnections and corridors and ensure their protection.
In closing, Mr. Dendias thanked Commissioners Tzitzikostas and Kubilius for understanding the need and supporting the relevant effort.
It is noted that the proceedings of the event opened with greetings from the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas.
The discussion was also attended by the European Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius, the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and acting Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of Romania, Radu-Dinel Miruta, and the Vice-President of the European Parliament, responsible for Military Mobility, Roberts Zile.
SOURCE: ANA