India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor

Diplomatic foundations The diplomatic foundations of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor rest on decades of evolving geopolitical realignments. Early groundwork began with India's 2005 "Look West" policy, which improved bilateral relations between New Delhi and Gulf nations. Policy briefs by prominent think tanks also report that the 2020 Abraham Accords have been influential, as they normalized ties between Israel and several Arab states and therefore paved the way for further integration. This shift directly facilitated the 2022 creation of the I2U2 grouping, comprising India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United States. During this summit, the representatives of the governments of India, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Italy and the European Union signed a Memorandum of Understanding. While not formal signatories, Jordan and Israel are implicitly included as essential transit nodes for the proposed route. The agreement currently still functions as a broad declaration of intent, since it still lacks a detailed funding plan or concrete implementation mechanism. Progress The project was launched to bolster transportation and communication links between Europe and Asia through rail and shipping networks and is seen as a counter to China's Belt and Road Initiative. The memorandum of understanding document has only mapped out the potential geography of a corridor and will compete against the current trade route going through the Suez Canal. The project had been delayed due to the ongoing Gaza war. The route is currently being used to bypass the Houthi blockade and is widely seen as a way to future proof the India-Europe-US supply chain avoiding the Suez canal. In June 2024, the Indo-Mediterranean Initiative (IMI) was started, aiming to track the progress of IMEC. IMEC got a new lease and enthusiasm has returned to the project during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first visit to the White House after the inauguration of President Donald Trump. "We agreed to work together to help build one of the greatest trade routes in all of history. It will run from India to Israel to Italy and onward to the US, connecting our partners, roads, railways and undersea cables, many many undersea cables." said the US President. During European Commission President Von der Leyen's visit to India on Feb 27–28 2025, both leaders agreed on the importance of IMEC, the excerpt of the joint statement read: "Undertake concrete steps for the realization of the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) announced during the G20 Leaders' Summit in New Delhi" There has been healthy competition between European countries for IMEC's European terminal with France (Marseilles), Greece (Piraeus/Thessaloniki) and Italy (Trieste) being candidates. The 2025 Trieste Summit has been announced to promote Trieste as a "strategic gateway port" for IMEC. TRENDS Research notes that the project has been offset by several challenges such as the geopolitics of the Middle East and the ongoing negotiation between New Delhi and Washington on tariffs, but has seen progress through local initiatives such as Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and the United Arab Emirates. The signing of a long awaited EU-India trade deal in January 2026 is expected to give IMEC extra momentum. == Reactions ==

IMEC is viewed positively by participating countries, with expectations to support economic development, connectivity, and potentially rebalance trade and economic relations between the EU and China. As per Bradley Intelligence Report, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates don't see IMEC as a challenge to China but as a diversification of their economies, strengthening their positions as inter-regional connectivity hubs and maximizing their geopolitical influence across Asia and Europe. However, according to an analysis from the Institute for National Security Studies, the UAE sees IMEC as a practical concept that can be readily integrated into its existing infrastructure and logistics network, while Saudi Arabia sees it as an strategic asset and future project. Chinese analysts were critical of the announcement, mentioning its "organizational fragility and lack of developing country focus, alluding to the BRI’s clear first-mover advantage, IMEC’s overreliance on maritime transport and lack of overland connectivity, and its exclusion of Iran and Turkiye." In September 2023, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticised the project for bypassing Turkey, and vowed for an alternative route, the "Iraq–Europe Development Road Project", which is envisaged to connect the Persian Gulf with Europe through railway and highway via ports in the UAE, Qatar, and Iraq, including the under-construction Grand Faw Port. In September 2024, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the corridor a "blessing" for the Middle East, and referred to Iran along with its allies as a "curse" in his address to the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly. In 2025, Italy appointed Ambassador Francesco Maria Talò as Italy’s Special Envoy for the corridor. == See also ==