Baltic states agree on military mobility 'Schengen' area

BRUSSELS

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have agreed to establish a Baltic Military Mobility Area (MMA) aimed at easing peacetime restrictions and enabling faster movement of troops and equipment across the three countries, officials said Friday.

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur signed a joint declaration of intent in Tallinn with his Latvian and Lithuanian counterparts, Andris Spruds and Robertas Kaunas, formalizing plans for the regional initiative, according to the Estonian news agency ERR.

The MMA is described as a military equivalent of the EU’s Schengen Area, designed to cut red tape and harmonize procedures that currently slow the cross-border movement of armed forces, including NATO allies.

"The point of the 'military schengen' is that we do not have any bureaucracy, any paperwork that needs to be done when militaries are moving from one European country to another," Pevkur said at a joint press conference, noting that existing procedures can delay movements for months.

Kaunas said the initiative would have practical operational benefits, allowing forces and equipment to move swiftly where needed across the region. "In times of crisis, every hour matters, and bureaucracy and borders can slow down our defense and deterrence," he said.

Latvian Defense Minister Spruds underlined the broader scope of the project, saying the mobility area would cover land, sea, air and cyber domains.

The ministers stressed that the initiative applies to peacetime and is intended to improve readiness and deterrence, while also contributing to discussions on a wider, Europe-wide military mobility framework to reinforce NATO's eastern flank.