Three Seas Initiative Forum of Regions – a press conference



On 2-3 April the Lubelskie Voivodeship in cooperation with the Institute for Development of Territorial Government is organising the Local Government Economic Congress, II Three Seas Forum of Regions. The event will take place at the Lublin Conference Centre and the Centre for Culture Meetings in Lublin. The Congress will be held under the honorary patronage of the President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda, who will take part in the event.



The Three Seas Initiative aims to strenghten socio-economic and scientific cooperation of local governments and business from the Central and Eastern European countries. This event will be the biggest business event in eastern Poland and one of the biggest in Central and Eastern Europe. The initiative will bring together 12 countries of the region: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, as well as strategic partners (the European Union, the United States of America and Germany), partner regions of the Lubelskie Voivodeship from Ukraine and Belarus and Polish business communities from all over the world.



We are in this part of Europe which wants to cooperate in terms of economy and politics – the Marshal of the Lubelskie Voivodeship Jarosław Stawiarki underlined during today’s press conference – Lublin is situated on the ‘’life road” of eastern Poland, i.e. Via Carpathia, and that is why we have invited to cooperation 11 countries which signed the Three Seas Initiative.



The April event will be held under the honorary patronage of the President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda.



When last year we requested Mr President to give patronage to the Local Government Economic Congress, we received a proposal to continue in Lublin the second edition of the Three Seas Forum of Regions –the vice-marshal Zbigniew Wojciechowski explained. – I am glad that we can be in the centre of international economic, social and cultural politics.



The topics tackled during the Congress will include economic cooperation of the Three Seas regions, especially in the context of a development impulse – the Via Carpathia route, energy security, tourism, agriculture, innovations in business, science and economy. It will also be an opportunity for B2B meetings.



Thanks to the Congress, for 2 days, Lublin will become the business capital of Poland. Ministers from the Three Seas countries will attend the plenary sessions. –the vice-marshal Michal Mulawa explained to media representatives. Minister Krzysztof Szczerski together with the diplomats from Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia and Estonia will talk about the Three Seas Initiative. There will also be an inauguration panel attended by the presidents of the Three Seas Initiative regions and marshals of the eastern Poland regions. The second day is also going to be interesting. One of the topics to be discussed then will be energy security in the aspect of sustainable development.



Cooperation under the Three Seas Initiative aims to extend infrastructure, energy and digital networks and thus create new international business links.



During the Congress the letter of intent will be signed between representatives of the Three Seas regions. The document, called the Lublin Declaration will concern deepening economic cooperation between regions, energy security and financial instruments. The United States of America have already declared a programme which is to financially support the Three Seas regions.



It is planned to establish the Economic Network of the Three Seas Regions during the event.

Read more



About the Three Seas Initiative in Davos



Polish President Karol Nawrocki emphasized in Davos the strategic importance of the Three Seas Initiative as a key platform for infrastructural, economic, and geopolitical cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe. The opening speech of the panel „Three Seas Initiative: geostrategic business opportunities – a bridge to the future – from the Adriatic, the Baltic, the Black Sea to Asia” took place as part of the Leaders Forum powered by Poland during the World Economic Forum in Davos. Former polish president Andrzej Duda participated as well.



President Nawrocki noted that over the course of a decade the Three Seas Initiative has evolved from a political concept into a mature cooperation mechanism that has tangible impact on the regional development.




“Ten years ago, the Three Seas Initiative began as an idea. Up until today it has evolved into a strategic framework for regional transformation, and alliance of innovation and infrastructure, and a symbol of Central and South-Eastern Europe’s maturity and confidence on the world stage” – told the President.



In his address the President also emphasized the strong transatlantic anchoring of the Three Seas Initiative. He stressed that from the very beginning, the Initiative was conceived as an open project, strengthening cooperation between the European Union and partners outside Europe, particularly the United States. In this context, the Three Seas Initiative was presented as a “bridge” connecting a dynamically developing region with global capital, technology, and markets.




” The Three Seas Initiative has never been an inward-looking project (…) it has been strategically anchored in the transatlantic partnership that unites Europe and North America”.



The President drew attention to the geostrategic dimension of cooperation within the Three Seas region in the face of global challenges such as geopolitical instability, pressure on supply chains, and competition for resources. He pointed out that the development of modern infrastructure and the deepening of economic cooperation constitute the foundation of security and long-term growth.



The speech also had a strong economic dimension. The President of Poland underlined Poland’s ambitions to strengthen its position in the global economy and its aspirations to join the G20, highlighting the growing role of the Three Seas region as one of the engines of growth in Europe. At the same time, he invited international investors to actively participate in projects implemented under the framework of the Initiative.



During the World Economic Forum in Davos, President Karol Nawrocki also met with President of the United States Donald Trump. The main topics of their talks were security and economic issues.



THE PRESIDENT’S SPEECH IS AVAILABLE HERE



Photo credit: © Mikołaj Bujak/KPRP, Source: https://www.prezydent.pl/aktualnosci/wizyty-zagraniczne/prezydent-w-davos-o-inicjatywie-trojmorza,113783

Read more