The European Union and NATO are advancing a massive infrastructure project that would bring about a “special zone” for soldiers and weapons to be flown across Europe at high speed, reportedly costing 100 billion euros.

The news was presented by the European Commissioner for Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, who was attending a conference in Athens.

The project calls for the construction and upgrading of some 500 strategic points in various European countries, which will help troops move more easily. The works are expected to be completed in the next three to four years.

Obviously, this will save much of the time required for troops and equipment to be moved from one country to another, both during military exercises and in case of emergencies,” Tzitzikostas added.

He also said the EU was in the process of establishing a military equipment pool, akin to the European Civil Protection Mechanism, under which member states share their resources to tackle crises.

The regulation will be in place by 2027, the infrastructure by early 2030, the European commissioner said.

In the conference, Tzitzikostas also discussed the summer tourist season, which he described as “quite good”, despite the Middle East conflicts and the resulting flight restrictions and higher fuel costs.

He said that tourists could avoid the fear of travelling to Europe this summer, as aviation fuel supplies are not in danger.

He said, “there was no indication of the shortage of fuel for aircraft, and most of the fuel is made in the E.U., and that there is enough fuel stored in the E.U..”