EU launches Connectivity Agenda Platform for development of Middle Corridor

The European Union has launched the Connectivity Agenda Platform, a new platform for coordinating transport, energy, and digital projects along the Middle Corridor, which connects China, Central Asia, the South Caucasus, Turkey, and Europe, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said.

Speaking at the platform launch conference, Kos said the new platform should take cooperation between the countries along the route to a new level by uniting separate initiatives into a single strategy for developing transport and logistics connectivity in the region.

"The Connectivity Agenda Platform will allow us to link separate initiatives and develop a common vision for connectivity development in the wider region. It will also help form a portfolio of priority projects that really matter," Kos said.

The platform is also intended to facilitate attracting financing by bringing together governments, international financial institutions, and private investors around a common investment agenda.

The Middle Corridor (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, TITR) is viewed by the EU as an important alternative to traditional trade routes between Europe and Asia. However, its development is still constrained by limited capacity and long transit times. Currently, cargo delivery from the China-Kazakhstan border to Romania can take up to 45 days.

"We want to reduce this time to 15 days — that is significantly faster than delivery by sea transport to Europe," Kos said.

Among the main bottlenecks on the route, she cited missing links in rail and road infrastructure, capacity constraints, and other infrastructure gaps. Additional obstacles remain differences in border procedures, system incompatibility, and administrative delays.

To address these issues, the EU intends to invest in modernizing transport infrastructure, digitizing customs procedures, and harmonizing regulation between the countries of the region.

According to Kos, the projects signed under the initiative with EU participation provide for more than 80 million euros in European funding and can mobilize over 2 billion euros in investments in transport, energy, and digital infrastructure.

Source: Report