The India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) is reshaping connectivity between Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Better transport, energy and digital links will diversify trade routes, strengthen supply chains and create new opportunities for investment and growth. Launched during India’s 2023 G20 Presidency, the value of IMEC has only become clearer following recent disruptions in maritime shipping and their impact on the global economy.
Measuring Connectivity across the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor provides the first OECD assessment of how the corridor’s different parts connect. It was prepared in close consultation with the IMEC Steering Committee.
The OECD Corridors’ Connectivity Scoreboard examines three dimensions: the infrastructure that moves goods; the rules and systems governing cross-border trade; and the resulting costs, reliability and volume of trade flows. This evidence helps policymakers identify where infrastructure, regulation and operations can reinforce one another and where targeted action can have the greatest impact.
Maritime transport provides a strong foundation for IMEC. India, the United Arab Emirates and Italy are well connected to global shipping networks, while several ports along the route offer substantial capacity and strong performance. Further investment can help capacity keep pace with future demand. Some western Indian ports are already close to their limits, while rising traffic could also place pressure on gateways in the Eastern Mediterranean. Expanding capacity at these points would support smoother flows across the wider corridor.
Rail offers the greatest opportunity to strengthen the corridor’s physical connections. India and Europe already have extensive networks linking ports to markets and production centres. A continuous cross-border railway between the Arabian Gulf and the Mediterranean would connect these networks across the Middle East, although challenges such as differing rail gauges would need to be addressed. Roads can support freight movement while rail links are developed. Faster border crossings would make this alternative more effective.
Better border co-operation can deliver faster gains. France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have all improved trade facilitation since 2012. Most have digital customs systems and simpler procedures. The next step is to connect these national advances across borders. Common data standards and electronic document exchange would cut delays and duplication. Sharing inspection results and aligning trusted-trader programmes would speed up clearance. These changes can begin before major infrastructure projects are complete.
Energy and digital connections can extend the corridor’s economic value. Electricity links and clean hydrogen supply chains can support energy security and progress towards climate objectives. The report proposes indicators covering electricity transmission, clean hydrogen infrastructure, international bandwidth, data centres and network resilience. Once applied across IMEC, these indicators could guide investment and support closer co-operation.
The next phase is about making IMEC work as one network. Priorities include expanding port capacity where demand is rising, completing the rail connection across the Middle East and connecting national border systems. The OECD will continue to support this work with internationally comparable data and policy analysis. This can help the IMEC Steering Committee and participating countries identify opportunities, sequence investment and track progress towards faster, more reliable trade between India, the Middle East and Europe.
Mathias Cormann
Secretary-General, OECD
Gérard Mestrallet
Special Envoy of the French President for IMEC