The European Commission has launched a new Connectivity Agenda Platform and agreed deals with international financial institutions that it said are expected to mobilise up to €2 billion for transport and trade-related investments linked to routes between Europe and Central Asia.
The platform was unveiled at a high-level ministerial meeting hosted by EU commissioners Marta Kos, Jozef Síkela and Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the Commission informed on Tuesday.
Transport ministers and senior representatives attended from EU member states as well as Armenia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, alongside representatives of the G7 and international financial institutions.
The Commission said the platform is intended to coordinate investments and policy action across transport, energy, digital connectivity and trade, bringing together participating countries, lenders and other stakeholders.
Participants also agreed to strengthen the operational performance of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, a trade route linking Europe and Central Asia via the South Caucasus and the Black Sea region.
They invited the Commission to assess how the corridor is functioning and to propose priority actions to improve its competitiveness.
Up to €2 billion for infrastructure and border crossings
To support the wider connectivity agenda, the Commission said it has concluded statements of intent with international financial institutions that are expected to mobilise up to €2 billion for investments in transport infrastructure, border crossing points and “trade facilitation” — measures designed to make cross-border trade easier, such as streamlining processes and procedures.
The funding is intended to support projects across the Black Sea region and the South Caucasus.
Marta Kos said trade along the Trans-Caspian route “could increase fivefold over the next 15 years”, adding that the new platform would “connect” existing projects and “fill the remaining infrastructure gaps.”
The Cross-regional Connectivity Agenda was presented at a ministerial meeting in Luxembourg in October 2025 and sits under the EU’s Global Gateway strategy.
