Photo from the report Sustainable transport connections between Europe and Central Asia, 2023.
The European Union aims to mobilize up to €12 billion in public and private investment to develop the Middle Corridor, a transport route intended to link Central Asia and the South Caucasus directly with European markets. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the goal in her annual State of the Union address on September 16. The funding is expected to be mobilized through the EU’s Global Gateway initiative.
“Our goal is to diversify routes, triple trade flows, and sharply reduce cargo transit times by 2030,” von der Leyen said. She added that the European Commission and Bulgaria’s prime minister would organise a regional summit on improving transport connectivity.
Von der Leyen described the expansion of international partnerships as a strategic choice for Europe and a response to the fragmentation of the rules-based international order. However, the €12 billion figure is a target for investment mobilisation rather than money already allocated. The published speech does not specify how the funding would be distributed among countries or individual projects.
Also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, the Middle Corridor links China and Europe via Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan and Georgia, bypassing Russia. From Georgia, cargo can continue overland through Türkiye or cross the Black Sea by sea to EU member states, according to a European Commission study published in 2023.
