EU’s military fuel infrastructure

Question for written answer E-002024/2025/rev. 1 to the Commission Rule 144 Bart Groothuis (Renew) Subject: EU’s military fuel infrastructure With the rise in geopolitical tensions and European armed forces’ clear dependence on civilian fuel systems, the shrinking capacity to store and refine fossil fuels in Europe could threaten military readiness. This problem is made worse by the lack of a clear strategy, contingency planning, regulatory barriers that restrict the modernisation of infrastructure, and limited coordination between the civilian and military sectors. Following a report by The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS),1 there are doubts regarding how Mr Kubilius, the Commissioner for Defence and Space, plans to align an increasingly electrified civilian infrastructure with military fuel needs in order to ensure military readiness. 1. Does the Commission agree with the findings of the HCSS report and support its recommendations? 2. Has NATO ever asked the Commission to develop a liquid fuels strategy and, if so, when can we expect the Commission to present such a strategy? 3. Has NATO asked the Commission to improve its military fuel infrastructure and, if so, what concrete steps did the Commission take to meet these demands? Submitted: 21.5.2025 1 https://hcss.nl/report/securing-european-military-fuels-in-a-tense-security-environment-supply-distributionand-storage/. PE774.176v02-00