IMEC and Global Gateway: Comparative Strategic Perspectives on India–EU Connectivity

 The India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), launched at the G20 Summit in New Delhi in September 2023, is a key pillar of the evolving India–EU strategic partnership. IMEC by leaders from India, the US, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Italy, France, Germany and the European Commission is designed as a transnational rail and shipping route spread across two continents (Delivorias & Falkenberg, 2024, p. 7). The EU’s Global Gateway strategy which Complements IMEC launched in December 2021 sets the broader framework for the EU’s external connectivity ambitions. Global Gateway seeks to mobilise up to €300 billion in investment between 2021 and 2027 to support green, digital and resilient infrastructure in partner countries (Rizzi, 2024, p. 8).

Green and Energy Corridors as Tools of Transition

The IMEC proposal specifically includes the incorporation of interconnected electricity grids and clean hydrogen pipelines. Both India and key IMEC partners, such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia have strong national ambitions for green hydrogen expansion. The proposed green hydrogen corridor which is integrated into IMEC serves a crucial purpose: creating an export corridor that expands the available market beyond domestic borders thereby addressing the significant hurdle of lack of industrial demand. The integration of interconnected electricity grids provides an alternative pathway for a reliable renewable energy supply mitigating the intermittent nature of solar and wind power generation.

Strategic Advantages

IMEC and the Global Gateway function as key instruments through which both India and the European Union seek to enhance their strategic autonomy in an increasingly uncertain global order. For the EU, connectivity initiatives like IMEC are central to its de-risking strategy, aimed at reducing overdependence on Russian energy and Chinese supply chains, particularly after the Ukraine war. IMEC’s proposed energy and transport links support diversification and trade resilience. For India, IMEC provides a vital non-Chinese and non-Pakistani route to Europe, countering China’s BRI and overcoming the geopolitical and sanctions-related constraints that limit alternatives such as the INSTC.

Challenges of Multipolarity and Implementation Gaps

The most immediate and severe challenge arose shortly after IMEC’s announcement was the eruption of the Hamas-Israel conflict in October 2023. It temporarily stalled detailed planning and cast a major shadow over the ambitious plan. The project relies heavily on active cooperation between Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, a political environment that is severely strained by Israel’s retaliatory actions in Gaza and the resultant anger in the Arab world Furthermore, regional instability is physically threatening trade routes. Attacks by Houthi militias in the Red Sea region since late 2023 underscore the extreme fragility of maritime infrastructure and supply chains that leads to diverting traffic around the Cape of Good Hope thus validating IMEC’s strategic rationale as an alternate corridor.  

Financing Constraints and Implementation Gaps

The monumental scale of IMEC necessitates equally monumental financing. The EU's Global Gateway intends to mobilise substantial public and private funds. The economic rivalry between key IMEC members including between Saudi Arabia and the UAE complicates the establishment of an overarching common tariff and taxation regime which poses a bureaucratic challenge to promoting the corridor.

Conclusion

The India–EU corridor initiatives which are epitomized by IMEC and embedded within the Global Gateway framework stand as powerful evidence that international infrastructure projects are now inherently strategic endeavours driven by a pursuit of resilient and rules-based connectivity. However, the ambitions are balanced by stark realities. Geopolitical instability in West Asia which is magnified by conflicts like the Gaza crisis and Houthi attacks along with internal challenges such as financing shortfalls and regulatory divergence and pose real threats to implementation. Only through sustained, high-level political will and careful coordination aimed at reconciling the varied interests of the participating powers including the US's desire for containment, the Gulf states’ transactional approach and India's multi-alignment, these corridors fulfill their promise of fostering a new era of global connectivity and strategic resilience.

-Rahana Sherin KV, a political science researcher pursuing her PhD at Jamia Millia Islamia.

 (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.eij.news)

REFERENCE

1. Suri, N., Ghosh, N., Taneja, K., Patil, S., & Mookherjee, P. (April 2024). India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor: Towards a new discourse in global connectivity (pp. 1–30). Observer Research Foundation (ORF).

   
   

2. Delivorias, A., & Falkenberg, D. (2024). India’s connectivity initiatives: A multi-faceted strategy (EPRS Briefing No. 762471, pp. 1–12). European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS).

   
   

3. Rizzi, A. (2024). The infinite connection: How to make the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor happen(Policy Brief, pp. 1–31). European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).