The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC): Strategic Connectivity, Energy Transition and the Role of the ECCKSA

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The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC): Strategic Connectivity, Energy Transition and the Role of the ECCKSA

Launched on 9 September 2023 on the margins of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), a 4,800 km corridor, represents one of the most ambitious connectivity initiatives of the past decade. Endorsed by the United States, India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the European Union, IMEC aims to establish a new commercial, energy and digital axis linking India to Europe through the Gulf and the Eastern Mediterranean.

IMEC is structured around three interdependent pillars integrating existing and future infrastructure. The transport pillar, which constitutes the backbone of the corridor, combines maritime routes with a transcontinental rail network. The energy pillar envisages interconnected electricity grids, renewable energy infrastructure and a dedicated hydrogen export corridor. Finally, the digital pillar includes fibre-optic cables and cross-border digital infrastructure designed to enhance data flows and economic integration.

The IMEC includes two separate corridors: the eastern corridor connecting India to the Arabian Gulf and the northern corridor connecting the Gulf to Europe. A central component of the corridor is a rail connection linking Gulf ports to the Mediterranean sea, expected to reduce transit times between India and Europe by up to 40% relative to shipping via the Suez Canal, and the route could reduce logistics costs by 30%. Along this rail axis, IMEC also foresees the deployment of high-voltage electricity lines, digital infrastructure and a pipeline for the export of decarbonised hydrogen, embodying what the European Commission has described as a “green and digital bridge across continents and civilisations”.

While the project has encountered challenges due to regional tensions in the Middle East, it has maintained strong political visibility and continues to feature prominently in high-level discussions, including among EU institutions’ priorities and talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2025.

For European companies active in Saudi Arabia, IMEC is not a distant concept but a concrete opportunity. With the Kingdom positioned as a key hub along the corridor, European businesses are directly exposed to new infrastructure projects, emerging energy and digital networks, and evolving frameworks. Understanding the corridor’s structure and regional dynamics is essential to anticipate changes in supply chains, identify strategic partnerships and deploy European expertise effectively.

Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads of Energy Transition and IMEC

Saudi Arabia occupies a pivotal geographical and strategic position within IMEC, enabling the Kingdom to consolidate its role as a central hub for Asia-Europe flows while advancing its economic diversification objectives under Vision 2030. Beyond logistics, IMEC aligns closely with Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become a global leader in renewable energy and green hydrogen exports.

This ambition was reinforced in July 2025, when, in the presence of His Royal Highness the Minister of Energy, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia formalised a series of international partnerships aimed at exporting renewable energy and green hydrogen to Europe. During the Renewable Energy and Green Hydrogen Export Workshop led by ACWA Power, several agreements and memoranda of understanding were signed to develop a full export value chain between Saudi Arabia and Europe. A multi-party MoU brought together leading European energy companies, including Edison (Italy), TotalEnergies Renewables (France), Zhero Europe (Italy) and EnBW (Germany).

These initiatives explicitly position IMEC as a platform for enhanced global logistics connectivity and energy cooperation, leveraging Saudi Arabia’s location at the crossroads of East and West. More broadly, there is a growing recognition that the corridor could also serve as an economic anchor supporting regional stabilisation.

Nevertheless, IMEC remains at an early stage of implementation. Estimated investment requirements range between USD 8 and 20 billion, with limited detail available regarding financing structures. While some investments predate IMEC, such as Emirati investments in India initiated in 2017, the corridor provides a unifying framework for cooperation. From a European perspective, IMEC is closely aligned with the EU Global Gateway strategy, launched in 2021, with smart, clean and secure infrastructure investments, particularly in digital, energy and transport sectors.

European Business Engagement and the Strategic Role of the ECCKSA

The successful operationalisation of IMEC will depend not only on political will, but also on the mobilisation of the private sector, particularly European companies with recognised expertise in transport, energy, engineering and large-scale infrastructure. European industrial champions bring proven technical know-how, project management capabilities and sustainability standards that reinforce Europe’s involvement as a long-term partner in the corridor.

In this context, and as highlighted in the European Parliament resolution on relations between the European Union and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (2025/2082(INI)), adopted on 16 December 2025, which states that it “recognises the opportunities presented and the converging interests served by EU-Saudi Arabia collaboration within the EU-GCC strategic partnership and through the EU’s Global Gateway initiative on IMEC, which is expected to lead to investments in electricity cables, undersea telecommunications and data cables, as well as pipelines for green hydrogen; […] recognises the ongoing efforts by the European Chamber of Commerce in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (ECCKSA) to foster collaboration between European companies and Saudi Arabia on transport and logistics infrastructure […]”, the European Chamber of Commerce in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (ECCKSA) plays an important enabling role.

As a platform representing European businesses across sectors, the ECCKSA contributes by structuring dialogue between policymakers and industry, identifying concrete opportunities linked to IMEC. Through sectoral committees in Energy, Transport & Logistics, and others, high-level roundtables and targeted engagement with Saudi and European stakeholders, the Chamber helps ensure that European expertise is integrated upstream, at the stage where standards, governance frameworks and project design are being shaped.

Looking ahead, key next steps for IMEC include the establishment of a dedicated governance structure, agreement on a realistic implementation timetable, and the launch of detailed feasibility studies to refine infrastructure specifications and cost estimates. In doing so, IMEC has the potential not only to redefine Eurasian connectivity, but also to demonstrate how trade, energy transition and regional cooperation can be mutually reinforcing, provided that public and private actors move forward in a coordinated and pragmatic manner.

In the coming weeks, the European Business Organisations (EBOs) of the region; India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka, together with the EBO Worldwide Network, will host an online executive dialogue entitled “From Corridors to Commerce: Europe’s Next Growth Bridge between India, the Gulf and South Asia.” The session will examine key developments such as the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and the role of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) in strengthening relations with third countries, using the EU-India FTA as a case study. It will also highlight new opportunities for European companies across logistics, clean energy, digital trade, automotive, MedTech and advanced manufacturing.

Executive Programs

To meet the evolving demands of the labour market and support the ambitions of Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia has significantly expanded its landscape of executive education, drawing on both national institutions and leading international schools to train the country’s future leaders. A growing number of Saudi organisations now rely on high-level executive programmes to prepare senior managers, entrepreneurs, public-sector executives and project leaders driving the Kingdom’s transformation. Nationally, universities such as KFUPM, MBSC, and Alfaisal University offer robust executive education programmes focused on leadership, management, innovation and entrepreneurship, all aligned with the country’s strategic priorities. In parallel, the Kingdom has developed fruitful partnerships with several major European institutions, including INSEAD, HEC Paris, Business School Netherlands, and London Business School. The latter has strengthened its presence in the Kingdom by opening an Executive Education office in Riyadh at Diriyah, offering both open-enrolment and customised programmes, and underscoring its commitment to supporting Saudi Arabia’s human capital development. Together, these initiatives reflect a strategic effort to cultivate a new generation of decision-makers capable of driving the Kingdom’s economic diversification and institutional modernisation.

As Saudi Arabia accelerates its national transformation, the education and empowerment of its youth stand at the core of its future ambitions. The Kingdom’s substantial investment in higher education, technical training and executive development is complemented by far-reaching scholarship schemes, including the Scholarships of the Two Holy Mosques, which encourage young Saudis to pursue advanced studies in strategic fields both domestically and abroad. This outward-looking strategy is further strengthened through growing cooperation with Europe via programmes such as Erasmus+, notably through its International Credit Mobility track, which enables academic exchanges between Saudi and European universities. These mobilities contribute directly to the internationalisation of Saudi higher education, the circulation of knowledge and the training of a new generation of globally connected leaders.

At the same time, Saudi Arabia is steadily establishing itself as a regional educational hub. Leading international institutions such as IE University, the University of Strathclyde and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland have already opened branches in the capital, drawn by the dynamism of the Saudi education sector and the Kingdom’s clear aspiration to become a centre for innovation, research and cultural development in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia is also placing increasing emphasis on employability. Major student fairs, sector-specific career forums and national initiatives such as the Human Capability Initiative are creating stronger connections between education, labour-market needs and professional opportunities for young Saudis. This integrated approach ensures that the skills developed across universities, technical institutes and executive programmes align with the demands of fast-growing sectors including engineering, tourism, culture, healthcare and the digital economy.

In this context, the Kingdom offers expanding opportunities for European schools and universities that wish to establish a presence in Saudi Arabia or forge strategic partnerships. The openness of the sector, the strong demand for international expertise and the central role assigned to education within Vision 2030 create a favourable environment for long-term collaboration.

By placing its youth at the heart of its transformation, Saudi Arabia is laying the foundations of an economy built on talent, knowledge and innovation. A new generation, better trained and more globally connected than ever before, is poised to shape the Kingdom of tomorrow.