Marta Kos: Almost all planes started passing through Caucasus – Middle Corridor will secure our trade, energy and digital links

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos says Europe has long relied on two main routes to connect with Asia — one passing through Russia and the other through the Middle East — but ongoing conflicts have made both increasingly unreliable.

“One-fifth of our economy is trade. But this isn’t just about trade deals with other countries. It is about geography, the roads, rails, and shipping routes products take to come into Europe. It is about the infrastructure we use to make sure energy can come to our houses, and it is about the cables that carry our data across the world.

For a long time, we relied on two routes to link Europe with Asia, the northern route through Russia, and the southern route through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. But conflicts are making these routes unreliable. Many ships are being forced to take the long way around the Cape of Good Hope, the old route Europe used before the Suez Canal was built,”Kos said.

In her video address, Kos also spoke about an alternative route that passes through the South Caucasus. According to her, since the outbreak of the war involving Iran, almost all flights between Europe and Asia have been rerouted through the Caucasus. However, she stressed that this corridor needs further development to become more efficient.

“But there is another way. Take a look at the plane map before and after the start of the recent war in Iran. Almost all planes started passing through the Caucasus. It’s through here, the middle corridor, that we can secure our trade, energy, and digital links. It connects Europe and Asia through Turkey and the South Caucasus.

But to make this work, we have to do our part. Trade along the route is four times higher now than in 2022. The problem is that shipping time can still take up to 45 days. Our goal, cut that to just 15 days. How? By improving roads, railways, ports, and reducing delays at borders. This will help lower costs for our businesses and make goods cheaper for people in the EU.

It will help us grow our economy. It will also support the improving relations between countries in the region after decades of conflict, also strengthening the economies of our neighbors to the east. That is what coal and steel did for us in Europe after the Second World War. This is a priority for the European Commission, securing our trade, energy, and digital links via routes we can trust,” EU Commissioner added.

Trade routes between Europe and Asia have become less reliable.

The northern route via Russia is disrupted. The southern routes face security risks.

But there is another way: the Middle Corridor.

Today, we launched the Connectivity Agenda Platform to move it forward. pic.twitter.com/rEJVjFq4uC

— Marta Kos (@MartaKosEU) June 23, 2026