We are pleased to announce the publication of a new working paper in the microstudies series, entitled “Building Geoeconomic Bridges: European Union – South Caucasus – Central Asia. Opportunities for Romania.” The document brings together contributions from 40 experts, researchers, and specialists from Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Georgia, Greece, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Poland, Romania, Pakistan, Türkiye, Ukraine, Hungary, and Uzbekistan.
The paper explores the growing strategic importance of the South Caucasus and Central Asia in their relationship with the European Union – respectively, with Romania – against the backdrop of shifting geopolitical realities. Contributors address important topics such as:
- economic cooperation and trade route diversification (including the development of the Trans-Caspian Corridor),
- energy and green transition (e.g., the submarine Black Sea – Georgia cable interconnection),
- regional security and the role of regional cooperation mechanisms,
- digitalization, connectivity, and education as tools to strengthen ties between the EU and countries in the region, and
- Romania’s role as a strategic connector between the EU, the Black Sea, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.
The full text of the working paper, available in English, can be accessed on the website of the European Institute of Romania here.
This report continues the series of collaborative publications by the European Institute of Romania and is the fifth volume focused on regions of strategic interest for the European Union, following previous papers on the future of Europe, EU–African Union relations, the Three Seas Initiative, and the wider Black Sea area.