Inauguration of the Three Seas Universities Network



On the 16th of May 2023, during the 3SEAS Local Government Congress, the Three Seas University Network was launched (3SUN – The Three Seas University Network).



This project, to which the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin as its initiator has invited universities from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary (also Ukraine), among others, is to be a tool for establishing and conducting regular contacts and undertaking joint research and implementation of innovations in the quality of education. The integration of the academic environment of the 12 countries of the Three Seas Initiative is to take place e.g. through cooperation in the commercialization of knowledge and the exchange of teaching and research experience. The agreement inaugurating the Three Seas Universities Network was signed in the presence of Minister of Education and Science Przemysław Czarnek.



The initiative’s main goals are strengthening the cooperation between European universities, intensifying international exchanges, expanding research that should lead to prestigious publications, important projects, and obtaining European grants.



The following universities have joined the Network:
• The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (Poland) • Trakia University (Bulgaria) • Catholic University of Croatia • Tallinn University (Estonia) • Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania) • Mykolo Romerio University (Lithuania) • Baltic International Academy (Latvia) • Babeș-Bolyai University (Romania) • University of Trnava (Slovakia) • Catholic University in Ružomberok (Slovakia) • Alma Mater Europea (Slovenia) • National University of water and environmental engineering in Rivne (Ukraine) • University of Lviv (Ukraine).



“The Three Seas Universities Network towards the challenges of science and the region” was the title of a scientific conference organised by the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, held as a part of the 3Seas Local Government Congress. This was the first in a series of international 3SUN conferences, which is intended to be part of the series of political and economic events implemented by Poland in Three Seas Initiative. During the conference, which lasted until May 17, representatives of member universities of the Three Seas Universities Network, researchers and academics dealing with issues of cooperation in the Three Seas region spoke. The participants of the conference discuss topics such as cooperation of universities for the development of the Three Seas macroregion, 3SUN as an instrument of research cooperation, security of Central and Eastern Europe, the role of the Three Seas countries in supporting the reconstruction of Ukraine, digital transformation and cyber security, the geopolitical significance of the Three Seas Initiative, and the role of Three Seas diplomacy .



For more information, please visit official Network website

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A visit to Slovakia by President Karol Nawrocki



On Wednesday, Polish President Karol Nawrocki visited Bratislava, where he met Slovakian President Peter Pellegrini. The main topics of discussion were political, economic, and infrastructure–related issues.



During a press conference, Karol Nawrocki emphasised that Poland and Slovakia are not only neighbours, but also long–standing friends. „In 2022–24, Polish pilots took part in air–policing mission of Slovakia’s airspace, and when the Polish border was violated by Russian drones, President Pellegrini and Slovakia unequivocally declared their solidarity with Poland” – he recalled.



The President emphasised that the primary objective of Poland and Slovakia is to strengthen their partnership within organisations such as the Visegrad Group, the Three Seas Initiative and the Bucharest Nine, while also taking responsibility for NATO’s eastern flank.



President Nawrocki also emphasised the need to strengthen infrastructure cooperation. He welcomed with satisfaction the Slovakian President’s declaration that construction of the R4 route, which forms part of the Via Carpatia project, will be completed in the coming years.



The President believes that such actions will contribute to the economic development and security of our region. ‘Following my meetings with President Donald Trump, I proposed that Poland should become as soon as possible a hub for gas supplies from the United States. We have a terminal in Świnoujście and I hope that construction of the floating terminal in the Baltic Sea will be completed soon. We also have an interconnector with Slovakia,” said Karol Nawrocki. He added that „Poland’s infrastructure development and our cooperation will lead us to independence from Russia throughout the region.”



President Nawrocki also confirmed that he had discussed migration with Peter Pellegrini. The Polish and Slovakian Presidents agreed that EU institutions cannot decide where to deploy migrants who pose a threat to security within Member States. President Nawrocki expressed his hope that, at the December Visegrad Group Summit, it would be possible to convince the Hungarian and Czech delegations to adopt this position as well.



While in Bratislava, President Nawrocki also met the Slovak Republic’s Prime Minister, Robert Fico, and its President of the National Council, Richard Raši.



Courtesy of: Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland (https://www.president.pl/news/a-visit-to-slovakia-by-president-karol-nawrocki,109798)

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