Three Seas Initiative

Member states of the Three Seas Initiative

The Three Seas Initiative is an initiative to strengthen Central European cooperation in the areas of politics, economy, infrastructure, energy policy and security. It consists of twelve Central and East Central European states of the European Union from the Baltic States to Croatia and Bulgaria .

General

The initiative was launched on August 25, 2016 at the request of Poland and Croatia and so far has no formal or institutional structure. Members are Bulgaria , Estonia , Croatia , Latvia , Lithuania , Austria , Poland , Romania , Slovakia , Slovenia , the Czech Republic and Hungary .

At their first conference in Dubrovnik , the twelve states agreed on increased cooperation. Core projects include the construction of liquid gas terminals in Croatia and Poland, including a pipeline, and the “ Via Carpathia ”, a road that will connect Lithuania with the Aegean Sea .

The second congress of the initiative took place on July 6 and 7, 2017 in Warsaw with the participation of US President Donald Trump . At the third meeting in Bucharest in September 2018 , Foreign Minister Heiko Maas stated that Germany was interested in participating in the initiative as a bridge builder.

In February 2020, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced a $ 1 billion payment to the Three Seas Initiative at the Munich Security Conference .

Surname

The name “Three Seas Initiative” goes back to the Adriatic , Baltic and Black Seas , between which the participating countries are located (see illustration).

Key figures

Within the Three Seas Initiative region, around 28% of the area of the EU is home to around 22% of the EU's inhabitants, who generate around 10% of the gross national income.

Goals of the initiative

The aim of the initiative is to strengthen Central European cooperation in the areas of politics, economy, infrastructure, energy policy and security. One of the central points is the creation of a common energy corridor and the diversification of the energy supply in order to be more independent of Russian gas deliveries (e.g. via the planned Nord Stream ) by importing liquefied natural gas by sea . The initiative does not see itself in this as competition with the European Union, but rather wants to strengthen the Union and expand cooperation by creating a balance between East and West.

Summit meeting

	date	Summit location	host	Remarks
1.	25-26 August 2016	Croatia Croatia , Dubrovnik	Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović
2.	6-7 July 2017	Poland Poland , Warsaw	Andrzej Duda	Participation of US President Donald Trump
3.	17.-18. September 2018	Romania Romania , Bucharest	Klaus Iohannis	Participation by Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry
4th	5th-6th June 2019	Slovenia Slovenia , Ljubljana	Borut Pahor	Participation by Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry
5.	2020	Estonia Estonia	Kersti Kaljulaid

Broadcast reports

WDR - "WDR 5 Morgenecho - Interview" from July 6, 2017: Trump and the "Three Seas Initiative" (questions to WDR energy expert Jürgen Döschner)

Web links

Individual evidence

^ Matthias Krupa : Three Seas Initiative: Trump ensnares the Poles . In: The time . July 2, 2017, ISSN 0044-2070 ( zeit.de [accessed July 4, 2017]).
^ Dubrovnik Forum adopts declaration called "The Three Seas Initiative" . In: EBL News . August 25, 2016 ( eblnews.com [accessed July 4, 2017]).
^ Poland hopes to tap Trump's business acumen at regional summit . In: Business Insider . ( businessinsider.com [accessed July 4, 2017]).
↑ Trump plays with Europe . ( tagesspiegel.de [accessed on July 4, 2017]).
↑ Maas conjures up a “new Ostpolitik” . ( tagesschau.de [accessed on September 18, 2018]).
↑ DER SPIEGEL: Pompeo vs. Steinmeier: "The West wins, together we win" - DER SPIEGEL - Politics. Retrieved February 15, 2020 .
^ President of the Republic of Poland / News / President Duda: Many infrastructure projects possible in CEE. Retrieved July 7, 2017 .
^ Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com): Three Seas summit in Bucharest seeks backing from Western Europe | DW | 09/17/2018. Retrieved February 15, 2020 (UK English).
^ Czech and Croatian Presidents Advocate Stronger Central Europe. Retrieved February 15, 2020 (UK English).
↑ Foreign Minister Reinsalu: we are ready to host the Three Seas Initiative summit in Estonia | Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved February 15, 2020 .

[1] Matthias Krupa : Three Seas Initiative: Trump ensnares the Poles . In: The time . July 2, 2017, ISSN 0044-2070 ( zeit.de [accessed July 4, 2017]).

[2] Dubrovnik Forum adopts declaration called "The Three Seas Initiative" . In: EBL News . August 25, 2016 ( eblnews.com [accessed July 4, 2017]).

[3] Poland hopes to tap Trump's business acumen at regional summit . In: Business Insider . ( businessinsider.com [accessed July 4, 2017]).

[4] Trump plays with Europe . ( tagesspiegel.de [accessed on July 4, 2017]).

[5] Maas conjures up a “new Ostpolitik” . ( tagesschau.de [accessed on September 18, 2018]).

[6] DER SPIEGEL: Pompeo vs. Steinmeier: "The West wins, together we win" - DER SPIEGEL - Politics. Retrieved February 15, 2020 .

[7] President of the Republic of Poland / News / President Duda: Many infrastructure projects possible in CEE. Retrieved July 7, 2017 .

[8] Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com): Three Seas summit in Bucharest seeks backing from Western Europe | DW | 09/17/2018. Retrieved February 15, 2020 (UK English).

[9] Czech and Croatian Presidents Advocate Stronger Central Europe. Retrieved February 15, 2020 (UK English).

[10] Foreign Minister Reinsalu: we are ready to host the Three Seas Initiative summit in Estonia | Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved February 15, 2020 .