Brussels, 18 December 2025: The vote in European Parliament on the SEDE-TRAN INI Report on Military Mobility makes clear that EU military forces are going nowhere without sufficient fuel supplies.

As correctly pointed out in the Report: “A robust European military mobility strategy demands resilient and predominantly EU based fuel and alternative fuel production and refinery capacities to also enhance strategic autonomy”. This steady recognition of the role of refineries in energy security is something co-legislators should draw on in their negotiations on the Regulation Proposal on Military Mobility, recently issued by the European Commission.

It should be noted that without the perspective of a long-term market demand for fuels, competitive refineries may be decommissioned or transformed into terminals, to the detriment of the EU’s supply security and defence readiness.

In the absence of a compelling business case for the low-carbon transformation of refineries, the EU risks an untimely reduction in domestic manufacturing capacity of fuels and refined products, even when the EU demand is still significant. In particular, and especially in the event of a conflict, certain regions of the EU would find themselves heavily dependent on supply from non-domestic sources.

Liana Gouta, Director General FuelsEurope, stated “The goal must be to safeguard the competitiveness of the European fuel manufacturing industry even during the investment-intensive low-carbon transition, which requires business-conducive laws and a long-term, stable outlook for civil demand for liquid energy.

Liana Gouta added “Without decisive action, Europe faces the erosion of its industrial base, the loss of highly qualified jobs and, above all, the weakening of its capacity to maintain operational readiness in times of crisis. We stand ready to support the European Commission to strengthen this fundamental pillar of Europe’s defence capabilities and strategic autonomy”.