EU, China accelerate development of Middle Corridor

2026-08-17

The EU launched a new transport accessibility platform in August 2026, aiming to connect Europe and Central Asia via the Black Sea and the South Caucasus. The EU, together with international financial institutions, plans to mobilize around €2 billion in infrastructure development for the Black Sea region and the South Caucasus.

EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Coss said that trade volume along the Trans-Caspian route could increase fivefold in the next 15 years.

The main participants in the corridor are Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. Kazakhstan says it has invested $35 billion in transport infrastructure over the past seven years and plans to continue investing in the future to strengthen its role as a key link between China and Europe.

International financial institutions are also actively involved in the development of the Trans-Caspian route. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the International Finance Corporation are financing the 75-kilometer railway line bypassing Almaty in Kazakhstan with approximately $300 million. The country’s road modernization program is worth $1.5 billion.

The capacity of Kazakhstan’s Caspian ports has also been expanded. As a result of projects implemented in the ports of Aktau and Kuryk, their total throughput has increased to 21.6 million tons per year. In parallel, Azerbaijan and Georgia are working to increase the throughput of the Baku port and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which should facilitate the transportation of cargo to Turkish and European markets.

Despite the development of infrastructure, the volume of shipments through the “Middle Corridor” is still relatively small. In 2024, 4.5 million tons of cargo were transported along the route, and in 2025, 4.7 million tons. The target for 2030 is 11 million tons.

For the European Union, the “Middle Corridor” is important as an alternative to the Russian route for cargo from China, while China sees it as an opportunity to diversify supply routes to Europe and strengthen its economic influence in Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

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