Italy and Turkey‘s Europe-to-Africa commercial corridor: a new Mediterranean strategic paradigm

the Turkey-Italy-Tunisia corridor forms an arc of commercial connectivity from the Maghreb to the wider Black Sea. The corridor’s central hub is Italy’s deep-sea port of Taranto, located on the Italian peninsula’s southern tip in the strategic heart of the Mediterranean Sea. Managed by Turkish port operator Yilport, the Taranto port began servicing the Turkey-Italy-Tunisia corridor in early July 2020. The Taranto-Tunisia segment simultaneously forms the core link of the corridor’s Europe-to-Africa transport route, by connecting North Africa’s coast to the manufacturing centres of Italy, Germany, and northern Europe via Italy and Europe’s high-speed rail systems. From Tunisia’s ports, the corridor can also link via Algeria to the Trans-Saharan Highway, potentially extending Italy and Turkey’s Europe-to-Africa corridor southward into West Africa as far as Lagos, Nigeria. The full report can be accessed here https://www.aies.at/download/2020/AIES-Fokus-2020-10.pdf About AIES: For over 20 years (est. 1996), the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES) is researching on various issues regarding the European Union and the European Integration Process. In doing so, the focus lies on European Security and Defence Policy with regards to the European Neighbourhood Policy, transatlantic relations as well as the Austrian Foreign-, European and Security Policy. © Austria Institut für Europa- und Sicherheitspolitik, 2020