Ukraine also in the Three Seas Initiative?

11 May 2022

Ukraine should join the Three Seas Initiative as soon as possible – appeals a political scientist Przemysław Żurawski vel Grajewski, Vice-President of the Three Seas Initiative Association . In a meeting with the Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Karpacz last year, Prime Minister Denys Szmyhal also declared close cooperation with the Three Seas Initiative.

Three Seas Initiative (3SI) is a cooperation format of 12 states of the eastern flank of the EU in the scope of extension of transport and communication infrastructure on the north-south axis, transit of energy sources and electric energy in the Baltic, Black Sea and Adriatic triangle, as well as development of infrastructure. The condition of a membership in 3SI is to be a member of the European Union.

Ukraine does not belong to the European Union but it has the association agreement upon which it is included in Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. Since 2017 Ukraine has also had free-visa traffic with the EU. It hasn’t been equal to free movement of people but it has considerably made it easier. The scale of mutual openness between the EU and Ukraine is big enough to make cooperation of Kiev with the 3SI mutually beneficial.

On 28th February – four days after the full-scale aggression of Russia against Ukraine, President Wolodymyr Zelenski signed an application for immediate acceptance of his state to the European Union based on the special accelerated application procedure. He was enthusiastically supported in this regard by Poland and Baltic states. Extending the EU to any poor country is however rejected by the voters in the leading UE states and their democratic governments must take into account the opinion of their electorate.

Ukraine was invited to the first 3SI summit to Dubrovnik in 2016. Unfortunately, Germany-oriented team of President Petr Poroszenko did not take advantage of the invitation following the reluctancy of Germany to this initiative. The opportunity passed. Today, the Ukrainians are disappointed by the fact they do not belong to the Three Seas Initiative. Nord Stream 2 and Berlin’s policy towards the Russian invasion symbolised by the story of “5 thousand helmets” and reluctance of Germany to fast comprehensive sanctions against Russia showed a real picture of Germany. Against this background, cooperation with Poland, supported by the USA and great Britain, seems to be more and more attractive – quotes Przemysław Żurawski vel Grajewski for tvp.info

CONGRESS 2026 AGENDA

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Three Seas Initiative Summit in Dubrovnik

30 April 2026

Parliamentary Summit of the Three Seas Initiative in Zagreb

26 March 2026

Rada Programowa Samorządowego Kongresu Trójmorza 2026

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Krok w stronę rozszerzenia Inicjatywy Trójmorza

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About the Three Seas Initiative in Davos

23 January 2026

Registration for the 6th Three Seas Local Government Congress is now open

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A visit to Slovakia by President Karol Nawrocki

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The Three Seas Local Government Congress under the Honorary Patronage of the President of Poland

03 November 2025

The Three Seas Local Government Congress under the Honorary Patronage of the President of Poland

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03 November 2025

The 6 th edition of the Three Seas Local Government Congress will be held May 27-28, 2026, under the Honorary Patronage of the President of the Republic of Poland, Karol Nawrocki. This distinction recognises the growing importance of the event, which has become a key platform for cooperation among the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, both in the economic and infrastructural dimensions.

Over five editions of the Congress (2020–2025), more than 5,000 participants from 24 countries have taken part, 104 discussion panels have been held, and 64 foreign delegations have visited Lublin. The scale and international character of the event confirm its increasing role in shaping dialogue across the Three Seas region.

We, the countries representing Central and Eastern Europe (…) through the Three Seas Initiative, Via Baltica, and Via Carpatia, share not only our voice and vision of building a civic community, but also tangible results showing that the Baltic States and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe are capable of implementing major infrastructure projects, emphasised President Karol Nawrocki during his visit to Vilnius last month.

These words perfectly capture the spirit of the Three Seas Congress, which brings together political, academic, and business communities around a shared goal, building a strong, integrated, and cooperative Central and Eastern Europe.

It is also worth noting that in April 2025, Poland hosted the 10th Three Seas Initiative Summit. During the event, participants emphasised the importance of infrastructure and economic cooperation in the region and the need to strengthen cohesion across Central and Eastern Europe. This year, the cooperation format has been expanded to include new members – Albania and Montenegro joined the Three Seas Initiative in the capacity of associated participating states, while Spain and Turkey became new strategic partners. It has already been announced that the 11th Summit will take place in Croatia in 2026.

We cordially invite you to take part in the Three Seas Local Government Congress! Registration will open in the end of January. More details will soon be available at www.congress.lubelskie.pl and on our social media channels.