European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the start of implementing a new international project that will provide a direct link between the South Caucasus and Central Asia to the European market—the so-called Middle Corridor. This statement was made by her during the annual address to the European Parliament with a report on the state of the European Union.
According to von der Leyen, within the 'Global Gateway' initiative, the European Union intends to attract up to 12 billion euros in state and private investments. The goal of this project is to diversify transport routes, triple trade turnover, and reduce cargo delivery times by 2030.
To implement this initiative, the European Commission, together with the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, is organizing a regional summit on connectivity issues.
Von der Leyen mentioned this announcement in the context of the broader theme of EU external partnerships: this year the Union signed free trade agreements with India, Mercosur countries, Mexico, Australia, and Indonesia, and trade agreements are in force with more than 80 countries worldwide.
The Middle Corridor, also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), connects China and Central Asia with Europe via Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, bypassing Russian territory. According to the Caspian Policy Center, this route, which spans over 4250 kilometers of railway tracks and 500 kilometers of sea route, is 2000–3000 kilometers shorter than the northern route through Russia.
The European Union's investments in the development of this corridor under the 'Global Gateway' program have been growing since 2024. In January 2024, European and international financial institutions allocated 10 billion euros for the development of the Trans-Caspian route, and at the EU-Central Asia summit in April 2025, an additional 12 billion euros was announced, of which 3 billion euros is directly designated for the Middle Corridor.
According to the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), the total funding for ensuring Central Asia's connectivity in the period 2024–2025 has reached 22 billion euros.