EU rail push to eastern flank still snarled by rules: French general

PARIS — As Russia’s war in Ukraine raises the possibility of a major deployment on NATO’s eastern flank, France continues to face bureaucratic hurdles that could slow down the rush of troops and tanks to the region, according to the French general in charge of coordinating military transport.

Obtaining approval to cross neighboring countries by military convoy today takes much longer than a European Union target of five days – “more like tens of days,” said Brig. Gen. Fabrice Feola, who commands France’s Centre for Operations and Transport Support, in a briefing here on Thursday.

The EU has vowed to address the bloc’s remaining barriers to military mobility in a regulatory proposal this year. The objective for military border-crossing procedures to take no more than five working days