Setting out their political agenda for 2026, Europe’s rail CEOs have placed military mobility as a central pillar of the sector’s gameplan this year as the bloc readies its next long-term budget. Speaking just weeks before his appearance at RailTech Europe, CER chief Alberto Mazzola said that strong funding and military mobility were now “essential to building a more resilient, competitive and sustainable Europe.”
As EU institutions prepare a new wave of defence, infrastructure and funding decisions, rail CEOs from across Europe gathered in Brussels this week for the General Assembly of the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), where they agreed the association’s strategic priorities for 2026 — with military mobility a key focus.
In a policy position adopted alongside the association’s 2026 priorities — which include securing strong EU funding for rail, advancing digital rail deployment and supporting the European High-Speed Rail Plan — CER welcomed the EU’s 2025 Military Mobility Package as a concrete step towards what Brussels increasingly describes as a form of “Military Schengen”. The CEOs agreed that a strategy framing rail as a dual-use backbone for both civilian transport and military logistics would be key to driving the sector forward in the coming year.
“Europe’s railways are united behind a clear agenda for 2026,” the CER chief said, just weeks ahead of his appearance at RailTech Europe in Utrecht. “Strong funding, digital transformation, military mobility and high speed rail are all essential to building a more resilient, competitive and sustainable Europe. Today’s decisions show a sector ready to work together, with partners and with EU institutions to deliver the rail system Europe needs.”
Funding, high-speed rail and digital delivery
A significant part of the General Assembly was devoted to refreshing CER’s leadership and expanding its membership. Jean Castex (SNCF Group), Henrik Dahlin (Green Cargo, as a consultative member), Miroslav Garaj (ŽSR) and Tomáš Tóth (Správa železnic, as Vice-Chair) were appointed to the Management Committee, while CER welcomed Línea Figueras Perpignan S.A. and Network Rail as its newest members.
The key focus of the meeting, however, was updating the association’s priorities for the year ahead. At the core of CER’s 2026 agenda is securing strong EU funding for rail in the next Multiannual Financial Framework. Rail CEOs stressed that long-term investment certainty will determine whether capacity expansion, cross-border projects and network upgrades can be delivered at the scale and pace now expected of the rail system. That applies across high-speed rail, digitalisation, ERTMS and rail freight.
The General Assembly also put particular emphasis on military mobility and moved the discussion from priorities into implementation detail. In a dedicated policy paper, the association praised the 2025 Military Mobility Package, while setting out conditions it says are needed to make the proposed Regulation workable for rail. These include clearer compensation mechanisms under the emergency framework, refinements to the design of the Solidarity Pool, and a careful assessment of the expanded powers foreseen for the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA).
A second policy paper focused on Europe’s vehicle authorisation process, with CER urging reforms to make ERA approvals faster, more predictable and less costly for applicants. The association argued that authorisation timelines should not exceed five months — a requirement it links not only to new rolling stock, but also to major retrofit programmes such as FRMCS and Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC).
RailTech Europe: the EU’s defensive turn
These issues will carry directly into Alberto Mazzola’s contribution at RailTech Europe 2026 in Utrecht this March. The CER Exectuive Director will take part in Day 2 of the conference, within the session Military Mobility as a rail system driver – funding, trade-offs and delivery, which examines how defence-led priorities are beginning to shape how rail projects are selected, sequenced and delivered across Europe. Within that session, Mazzola will give a keynote speech on rail as dual-use backbone of Europe’s security, connectivity and preparedness, which will be followed up by a panel discussion, ‘Financing the future of rail’.
Want to meet the head of CER? Then get your tickets for RailTech Europe, a two-day event made up of a free exhibition and an exclusive conference with a different theme on each day. The first day focuses on rail sustainability and decarbonisation, while the second examines Europe’s defence-driven shift and its implications for the rail sector. You can attend for one day or both.