‘We cannot afford to rely on one route’: EU supports IMEC to make India-Europe trade more resilient during Hormuz crisis | Today’s news
The European Union has backed the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) to diversify trade routes and make connectivity between India and Europe more resilient, with Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, warning that global trade cannot depend on a single sea route, port or critical point.
Tzitzikostas made the remarks at the “Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue 2026” event held Oct. 7-9 in New Delhi amid renewed fears of disruption to global shipping through the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran war.
“We cannot afford to rely on a single route, a single port or a maritime connection point,” Tzitzikostas said on the opening day of the forum on Wednesday. “When one is disrupted, the consequences extend to factories, energy markets, supply chains and ultimately citizens and their daily lives.”
IMEC is a planned multimodal connectivity project announced on 9 September 2023 during the G20 summit in New Delhi.
The Strait of Hormuz crisis in the midst of the Iran War renewed the focus of IMEC and highlighted the need for alternative trade and transport routes connecting India to Europe.
Why does the EU support IMEC?
Speaking on India-EU Green Shipping Corridor: Innovation, Action and Scale, Tzitzikostas said IMEC could help diversify connectivity between India and Europe by creating a network of interconnected transport, energy and distribution links.
He emphasized that ports and maritime connections will be central to the corridor, while the EU Global Gateway initiative could help transform IMEC’s vision into sustainable and resilient infrastructure projects.
Recent disruptions have shown how quickly conflicts, piracy, organized crime and cyber threats at sea can affect global trade, Tzitzikostas said.
“Europe and India are natural maritime partners. The ocean connects our economies and our societies. Our ports are gateways to trade, energy and industrial value chains,” he said.
How does green transport fit into IMEC?
Tzitzikostas highlighted the potential of India and Europe to work together on sustainable marine fuels.
“Europe is creating very strong demand for sustainable marine fuels,” he said.
He said India has significant potential in renewable energy and could become a major producer of green hydrogen derivatives such as green ammonia and methanol.
Read also | ‘Multiple routes’ key for IMEC amid Hormuz crisis, French envoy says
“Europe can provide India with a growing market, technology and investment. This complementarity gives real potential to our partnership,” he said.
Tzitzikostas said green shipping corridors can turn climate ambitions into concrete investments by connecting ports, fuel producers, shipping companies and customers with government support.
“The priority now is implementation: credible projects, sustainable fuel supplies, bold infrastructure and credible standards and certifications,” he said.
The EU official said sustainable shipping, resilient connectivity, maritime security and healthy oceans should form the four pillars of India-EU maritime cooperation.
Tzitzikostas said the recent breaches showed the vulnerability of global maritime trade to security threats.
“It makes absolute sense for us to deepen our cooperation in maritime security, including port security and cyber security,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of creating a global framework for shipping decarbonisation that is feasible, enforceable and pragmatic, while providing certainty to investors and promoting zero and near-zero emission shipping.
Tzitzikostas described India as one of the three major maritime nations in the world and a major source of seafarers, saying India’s voice will therefore be important in shaping global maritime rules.
“Our task now is to turn political ambitions into concrete results: cleaner seas, more sustainable ports, safer rules and stronger global rules for our oceans,” he added.
