European Union regional approaches in the transport sector

2026-02-10

The European Union’s strategic approach to the Black Sea region recognizes the Black Sea and its neighboring countries as key gateways connecting Europe with Turkey, the South Caucasus, Central Asia and other regions. Improving transport connectivity for the European Union with Turkey, the Eastern Partnership region, including the South Caucasus and Central Asia, can ensure faster and more reliable imports of raw materials and goods, as well as open up new export markets across Eurasia, leading to the development of mutually beneficial trade. In this context, against the backdrop of the decreasing reliability of the “Northern Corridor” and the slowing development of the “Southern Route”, the “Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor” (TCTC) appears as the most promising way to create an environmentally friendly, diversified and geopolitically sustainable multimodal transport link between Europe and Asia. In addition, the significant increase in cargo flows and the agreement signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan on August 8 further strengthen the position of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor as the most viable route for ensuring environmentally friendly, diversified and resilient regional connectivity.

In recent years, there has been a sharp increase in the volume of investments in infrastructure along the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, although significant problems and bottlenecks remain in terms of both hard infrastructure and soft connectivity. These problems range from relatively quick solutions that allow for increasing the carrying capacity of overloaded nodes (e.g., increasing the efficiency of border crossing points) to long-term investments in the development of new infrastructure (e.g., building a new port).

Typically, when discussing the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey are mentioned as key players along the route from China to Europe. However, countries such as Armenia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Ukraine also play an important role:

• Armenia: In addition to a significant expansion of the TEN-T network, the “Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor” could gain operational benefits from the development of resilience-enhancing branches in the South Caucasus (re-establishing connections between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey), which may open up due to recent geopolitical shifts in the South Caucasus. This could help diversify trade routes, potentially relieving congested areas. This could also significantly improve transport connectivity between Armenia and the European Union.

• The development of “feeder lines” and multimodal connections from Central Asian countries not conveniently located along the main corridor, such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, would further enhance the corridor’s ability to transport the region’s critical raw materials (CRMs) and other export goods to and from the European market. These connecting lines would facilitate the integration of producers operating in the region into trans-Caspian supply chains, expand the options for suppliers to the European Union, and stimulate inclusive regional development.

• The cases of Ukraine and Moldova represent separate but complementary dimensions of the regional connectivity scheme. Their strategic orientation is determined, first of all, by integration with the European Union, but they interact with the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor so far through the Western Link via the Black Sea ports and the Danube, connecting to the European Union TEN-T network.

The following priorities have been identified, which complement the projects already implemented in the region within the framework of the Global Gateway strategy:

1. Invest in effective infrastructure projects selected by the European Union within the framework of the expansion of the Ten-T network and development partners, such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the World Bank, with the aim of stimulating open, rules-based governance along the corridor and making decisions that protect the long-term interests of the countries and their citizens along the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, as well as in the European Union.

2. Improve connectivity in the South Caucasus and identify missing nodes in the existing extension of the TEN-T network, which is related to recent geopolitical events, which could integrate Armenia into the “Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor” to increase its resilience.

3. Encourage the development of soft connectivity and increase compatibility with common standards along the “Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor”.

4. Encourage the development of partnerships with the private sector in the implementation of projects along the corridor, covering design, construction, logistics and digital systems. This will enable the introduction of standards and technologies compatible with international norms, increase the role of manufacturing and improve the exchange of advanced regional experience with the help of local partners.

5. Strengthen the integration of Moldova and Ukraine into European networks by complementing the existing instruments for investments in hard infrastructure, as well as the existing levers in the field of soft connectivity (e.g. digital solutions for cross-border procedures, digital transport documents, etc.).

Professional Railwaymen's Club