At this year’s Munich Security Conference, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen urged Europe to fuse civilian and defence industry, warning that nations must “change or die”. It’s a far cry from the Green Deal era of renewables-led industrial policy. Yet much like this year’s RailTech Europe programme, the rail sector is treating the two agendas as entwined. As CER chief Alberto Mazzola, a keynote speaker at RailTech’s flagship summit, put it: “Sustainability and military mobility are two sides of the same coin.”
The 2026 Munich Security Conference landed at a bleak moment for Europe: the Ukraine war grinds on with no settlement in sight; military threats and incursions by erstwhile allies are being eyed from Brussels with mounting concern; and NATO itself is facing open strain as the appetite of its de facto leader for underwriting Europe’s security dwindles.
It was therefore no surprise that EU chief Ursula von der Leyen used her address to argue, once again, that the bloc had “no choice” but to become far more militarily self-reliant. But with NATO’s biggest financial backer proving far less reliable — the Commission President notably omitted the US from her list of “strong” defence partners — the underlying message from Brussels is now investment.
As Von der Leyen stated, European defence spending in 2025 is up close to 80 percent compared with the period before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the EU mobilising up to €800bn in its defence effort. She framed Ukraine as “an inspiration” for how to scale the EU’s defence effort through industrial capacity.
“Ukraine has shown that strength and deterrence, and ultimately lives, depend on industrial capacity,” she said. “Producing, scaling and sustaining the effort over time. As they say in Ukraine, you change or die. We must adopt this mantra too. We need to tear down the rigid wall between the civilian and defence sectors. We should not look at our industries as purely commercial but as core to the defence value chain.”
‘Two sides of the same coin’
It is a noticeable turn from the European Green Deal era, when industrial policy was framed primarily around decarbonisation. But as Alberto Mazzola, Executive Director of the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies — which speaks for nearly 70 of Europe’s biggest rail bodies — told RailTech, when it comes to rail, where a significant share of military mobility spending will ultimately land, decarbonisation and defence are not competing agendas.
“Sustainability and military mobility are two sides of the same coin,” he said, speaking just weeks ahead of his appearance at RailTech Europe in Utrecht. “Rail is already Europe’s most sustainable land transport mode. It is essential for decarbonisation, competitiveness and connectivity. At the same time, it is uniquely suited for the large-scale transport of heavy military equipment across long distances.”
That dual framing is reflected in the structure of RailTech Europe itself. RailTech Europe ‘26 on March 4–5 opens with a day dedicated to sustainability and decarbonisation — from electrification and alternative traction to digital optimisation — before turning on Day 2 to military mobility and defence-driven rail investment. And there is much to discuss.
What the Military Mobility package means
Under geopolitical pressure, the EU is moving swiftly to get its house in order. Under the Commission’s Military Mobility package, member states would be required to respond to cross-border military transit requests within three days in peacetime — and within hours under an emergency framework — replacing a system that can currently take weeks.
Platforms like RailTech Europe are essential to align technology, regulation and operational realities.
The plan also identifies around 500 infrastructure “hotspots” across four priority corridors where roads, bridges, tunnels and rail lines may need reinforcement to carry heavy equipment. Parliament is already pushing to toughen the file, calling for a “European preference” in sensitive transport and signalling systems, warning against dependencies on foreign-controlled digital components in critical infrastructure.
CER has welcomed the 2025 Military Mobility Package as a step towards what Brussels increasingly describes as a form of “Military Schengen”, but has also warned that implementation must be workable for infrastructure managers and operators. In its recent policy position, the association called for clearer compensation mechanisms under emergency use, refinements to the proposed solidarity pool and careful calibration of the European Union Agency for Railways’ expanded role.
Join us at RailTech Europe ’26
These tensions — between speed and scrutiny, sovereignty and interoperability, defence urgency and delivery capacity, alongside the perennial challenge of funding cross-border rail projects — will run through RailTech Europe in Utrecht on 4–5 March. CER’s Mazzola will take part in the Day 2 programme focused on military mobility as a rail system driver, delivering his keynote, entitled “Rail as dual-use backbone of Europe’s security, connectivity and preparedness”.
Setting out what a defence-driven rail strategy looks like in practice, the CER chief will then be joined by MEP Kai Tegethoff and UNIFE Director General Enno Wiebe for the panel “Financing the future of rail – EU perspectives”, focused on how the sector actually pays for von der Leyen’s desired defence pivot.
“RailTech Europe is a great event to engage with industry and policymakers on how innovation can accelerate Europe’s rail transformation,” said Mazzola. “Platforms like this are essential to align technology, regulation and operational realities, and to ensure that rail fully delivers on its strategic role for Europe.”
