Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced the launch of a new international connectivity project that will link the South Caucasus and Central Asia directly to the European market — the so-called Middle Corridor. She made the announcement while delivering her annual State of the European Union address to the European Parliament.
According to von der Leyen, under the Global Gateway initiative the European Union intends to attract up to 12 billion euros in public and private investment. The project's aim is to diversify routes, triple trade flows and cut cargo delivery times by 2030.
To implement the initiative, the European Commission will organise a regional connectivity summit together with the Prime Minister of Bulgaria.
Von der Leyen noted the announcement in the context of the broader theme of the EU's external partnerships: this year the Union signed free trade agreements with India, the Mercosur countries, Mexico, Australia and Indonesia, and trade agreements are now in force with more than 80 countries worldwide.
The Middle Corridor, also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), links China and Central Asia with Europe via Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye, bypassing Russian territory.
The route spans more than 4,250 kilometres of railway lines and 500 kilometres of sea passage, making it 2,000–3,000 kilometres shorter than the northern route through Russia, the Caspian Policy Center said.
European Union investment in developing the corridor under the Global Gateway programme has been growing since 2024.
In January of that year, European and international financial institutions allocated 10 billion euros to develop the Trans-Caspian route, and in April 2025, at the EU – Central Asia summit, an additional 12 billion euros was announced, of which 3 billion euros is intended directly for the Middle Corridor.
The total volume of financing for Central Asian connectivity in 2024–2025 reached 22 billion euros, the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) said.
