As the Middle Corridor gains strategic importance for Europe–Asia trade, attention is shifting from political coordination to practical implementation. At a high-level roundtable in Brussels, IRU highlighted the concrete measures needed to make the route faster, more predictable and ready for investment.
• Facilitation and cooperation, not infrastructure alone, determine corridor performance
• Reducing time lost at borders is key to unlocking competitiveness
• Tools such as the TIR system, eTIR and eCMR offer immediate efficiency gains
• Coordinated political action is needed to translate strategy into bankable projects
The Brussels discussions on “Sustainable Middle Corridor – from strategic coordination to bankable implementation”, organised by the Kazakhstan–EU Gateway in collaboration with FERRMED and the European Institute of Asian Studies, brought together government, financial and industry representatives.
The participants examined concrete initiatives to strengthen the competitiveness and resilience of the Middle Corridor as a growing Europe–Asia trade route. The corridor is increasingly seen as a driver of regional trade, connectivity and economic development across the countries along the route. (....)