Three Seas Initiative | |
|---|---|
 Logo | |
 | |
| Membership | |
| Establishment | 2015 |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,218,975 km2 (470,649 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Estimate |  110,150,445[1] |
• Density | 90/km2 (233.1/sq mi) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2022 estimate |
• Total |  €2.295 trillion[2] |
• Per capita | €20,838 |
Website 3seas | |
TheThree Seas Initiative (3SI orTSI), known also as theBaltic, Adriatic, Black Sea (BABS)Initiative or simply as theThree Seas (Latin:Trimarium,Polish:Trójmorze), is a forum of thirteen states, in theEuropean Union, running along a north–south axis from theBaltic Sea to theAdriatic andBlack Seas inCentral and Eastern Europe.[3] The Initiative aims to create a regional dialogue on questions affecting the member states.
In 2016, representatives of the original 13 member states (Austria,Bulgaria,Croatia, theCzech Republic,Estonia,Hungary,Latvia,Lithuania,Poland,Romania,Slovakia,Slovenia andGreece)[4] met for their first summit inDubrovnik, Croatia. At the seventh summit inRiga on 20 June 2022,Ukraine received the status of a partner-participant of the TSI,de facto becoming a participant in this initiative.[5] At the 2023 summit,Greece became a member andMoldova a partner-participant;[6] and, at the 2025 summit,Albania andMontenegro became partner-participants.[7]
The twelve Three Seas countries cover 29 per cent of theEuropean Union's territory (1,210,000 km2 or 470,000 sq mi), are home to25 percent of the European Union's inhabitants (110 million), and produce €2.3 trillion orone seventh of the EU's GDP (nominal).[2]
The Three Seas Initiative, which was influenced by the PolishinterwarIntermarium concept, was launched in 2015 by Polish PresidentAndrzej Duda and Croatian PresidentKolinda Grabar-Kitarović.[8]
The Initiative's first summit, held inDubrovnik, Croatia, on 25–26 August 2016, ended with a declaration of economic cooperation in energy and in transport and communications infrastructures.[3] Polish PresidentAndrzej Duda called the initiative "a new concept to promote Europe's unity and cohesion... an idea of cooperation among 12 countries located between the Adriatic, Baltic and Black Seas, the three seas of Central Europe."[9]
Guests included Chinese Ministerial Assistant for Foreign AffairsLiu Haixing, who spoke about Three Seas Initiative interconnectedness with China'sBelt and Road Initiative, and formerUS National Security Advisor GeneralJames L. Jones, who stressed the Three Seas Initiative's role in European development and security.[10][11]
The Initiative's second summit was held 6–7 July 2017 inWarsaw, Poland. Guest attendees included US PresidentDonald Trump.[12][13] The participating countries unanimously agreed to set up a Three Seas Business Forum.[14][15]
The Initiative's third summit took place 17–18 September 2018 inBucharest, Romania. Participants approved interconnection projects in three key areas: transport, energy, and digital.[16] Guest attendees included President of the European CommissionJean-Claude Juncker, German Foreign MinisterHeiko Maas, and US Secretary of EnergyRick Perry. The first edition[clarification needed] of the Business Forum was organised. A 3SI Network ofChambers of Commerce was created, and aletter of intent was signed concerning establishment of a Three Seas Investment Fund.[17][18]
| Date | Location | Hosting leader | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016 25–26 August | Dubrovnik, Croatia | Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović | Format established.[19][20] |
| 2 | 2017 6–7 July | Warsaw, Poland | Andrzej Duda | U.S. PresidentDonald Trump attended.[21] |
| 3 | 2018 17–18 September | Bucharest, Romania | Klaus Iohannis | E.U. Commission PresidentJean-Claude Juncker, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, and U.S.Secretary of EnergyRick Perry attended.[22] |
| 4 | 2019 5–6 June | Ljubljana, Slovenia | Borut Pahor | E.U. Commission PresidentJean-Claude Juncker, German presidentFrank-Walter Steinmeier, and U.S.Secretary of EnergyRick Perry attended.[23][24] |
| 5 | 2020 19 October[25] | Tallinn, Estonia | Kersti Kaljulaid | Virtual summit[26][27] |
| 6 | 2021 8–9 July[25] | Sofia, Bulgaria | Rumen Radev | Greek presidentKaterina Sakellaropoulou attended.[28] |
| 7 | 2022 20–21 June[25] | Riga, Latvia | Egils Levits | |
| 8 | 2023 6-7 September | Bucharest, Romania | Klaus Iohannis | IMF Managing DirectorKristalina Georgieva attended. Greece became the 13th member of the initiative and Moldova a partner-participant.[6] |
| 9 | 2024 11 April[29] | Vilnius, Lithuania | Gitanas Nausėda | Japan became 4th Strategic Partner of the Initiative[30] |
| 10 | 2025 28-29 April | Warsaw, Poland | Andrzej Duda | Albania and Montenegro became partner-participants.[7] |
The initiative is closely related to two major infrastructure projects in the region:[31]
Other projects are theBaltic-Adriatic Corridor,Via Baltica road,Rail Baltica andAmber Rail Freight Corridor[32] rail connections.[33] Another project isRail-2-Sea, which aims to connect the Baltic Sea port ofGdańsk (Poland) with the Black Sea port ofConstanța (Romania) through a 3,663 kilometres (2,276 miles) long railway line.[34][35]
The initial two founding institutions from Poland and Romania have committed themselves to make payments totaling more than 500 million euros.[36] The Fund is open to other Three Seas countries, which may join it after obtaining appropriate permits. The supervisory board of the Fund consists of representatives of development banks from Poland, Romania, Latvia, and the Czech Republic.[37][38]
In 2019,Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego andExport–Import Bank of Romania[39] signed the founding act of the Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund.[40] The fund is to focus on projects creating transport, energy and digital infrastructure in the Three Seas region. Private investors frompension funds,private investment funds, and other entities will also be invited to the fund. The aim is to raise up to €3–5 billion.[36]
The fund will engage, on a commercial basis, in infrastructure projects with a total value of up to €100 billion,[41][42] while the needs of the Three Seas region have been estimated at over €570 billion.[43]
Prior to the 2020 Tallinn Summit,United States Secretary of StateMike Pompeo pledged up to a billion dollars in financing for the Investment Fund.[44] The investment was not made.[45]
The fund's assets were estimated at €900 mil. in 2023.[46] The fund is collaborating with the Amber Infrastructure Group in raising capital and managing investments.[47]
Social-democratic Croatian PresidentZoran Milanović stated that the initiative is harmful forCroatia.[48]
The Three Seas Initiative was perceived rather negatively byCzech experts and diplomats during its launch. It was seen as a Polish attempt to create itssphere of influence (similar to the historical perception ofIntermarium). Further fears were related to a possibility of deepening the east–west division in theEU and exclusion ofGermany. A long term Czech objection was that there should be no competing geopolitical project in the region that would weaken the EU. Some of those objections have been partially addressed lately also due to a good experience with cooperation on infrastructure projects in theVisegrád Group.[49][verification needed] Further improvement of Czech position toward the Initiative happened after the term of the presidentMiloš Zeman ended and the government could remove from the Czech priority list the controversial project ofDanube-Odra-Labe channel in 2023. TheMinistry of foreign affairs suggested the new priority projects should be the gas connectionSTORK II andhigh-speed rail connection to Poland. On the other hand, Czechia still does not seem interested in joining the Investment fund or hosting a summit.[50]
The populistFinns Party has advocated forFinland to join the initiative.[51]
In 2016, Ukraine was sent an invitation to the Three Seas Summit in Dubrovnik. However, no state representative was sent to the meeting.[52]In August 2019, during the visit ofUkrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy toPoland, he stated that Ukraine is interested in becoming an active participant in regional projects and initiatives in Poland, such as the Three Seas, which covers theBaltic,Adriatic andBlack Seas. It was also noted that Ukraine is already cooperating in the construction of the trans-European Via Carpatia highway, and is discussing an ambitious E-40 waterway project for Ukraine."[53]
In October 2019,Polish Foreign MinisterJacek Czaputowicz said that Ukraine could not now join the Three Seas Initiative, as it includes the countries ofCentral andSouthern Europe, which are members of theEuropean Union. The head of Polish diplomacy explained that the Three Seas Initiative should not be associated withgeopolitics, as it is only an infrastructure project.[54]
In November 2019, during the visit of thePresident of UkraineVolodymyr Zelenskyy toEstonia, he stated that Ukraine is interested in joining the TSI and intends to discuss this issue with Estonian partners.[55]
After the start of the2022 Russian invasion during theRussian-Ukrainian War,President of PolandAndrzej Duda in his address to theVerkhovna Rada of Ukraine on 22 May 2022, stated that Ukraine should join the Three Seas Initiative.[56] Later, on 7 June 2022, thePrime Minister of Poland,Mateusz Morawiecki, at the opening of a two-day congress of local self-government in the Three Seas inLublin, stated that the Three Seas Initiative is impossible without involving a free and sovereignUkraine.[57]
At the seventh summit inRiga on 20 June 2022, speaking on video, thePresident of UkraineVolodymyr Zelenskyy stated thatUkraine should become a member of the Three Seas Initiative. Zelenskyy suggested strengthening the interpretation of cooperation within the Three Seas, emphasizing the importance of logistics. Speaking about cooperation in the energy sector, Zelenskyy reminded that Ukraine has one of the largest gas storage facilities in the region.[58] At this summit Ukraine received the status of a partner-participant of the TSI,de facto becoming a participant in this initiative.[5]
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