An analysis of the impact of The Belt and Road Initiative from the perspective of European countries and Hungary

Global maritime transport routes form the backbone of world trade, as the vast majority of goods are transported by sea from producer to consumer. This research aims to provide a comprehensive overview of global shipping routes affecting Eurasia, their strategic importance, and their role in international trade, with a particular focus on maritime freight transport. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has significantly reshaped Eurasian transport networks and increased the strategic importance of several European maritime gateways. This study investigates whether BRI-related developments have been associated with changes in maritime freight transport performance in Europe between 2014 and 2024. The analysis is based on maritime freight transport and GDP data for 25 European countries obtained from Eurostat and international economic databases. Maritime freight volume is positively associated with national economic performance. In contrast, countries connected to major BRI-related maritime and hinterland transport networks are expected to exhibit distinct patterns of maritime freight development and maritime freight-to-GDP intensity. The results indicate that total maritime freight volumes and GDP increased during the examined period, while freight transport intensity declined in most countries. However, several countries connected to major BRI logistics networks, including Greece, Italy and Poland, showed more favourable trends. The findings suggest that BRI-related infrastructure developments may have contributed to the growing importance of selected logistics corridors, particularly the Piraeus-Budapest route, although a direct causal relationship cannot be established. The study contributes to understanding the evolving role of maritime transport within European logistics systems and highlights directions for future research.