A Study on the Three Seas Initiative as a Emerging Regional Partnership in Eastern Europe

Abstract

The Three Seas Initiative(TSI) is a forum of twelve states, in the European Union, running along a north-south axis from the Baltic Sea to the Adriatic and Black Seas in Central and Eastern Europe. The Three Seas Initiative, which was influenced by the Polish interwar Intermarium concept, was launched in 2015 by Polish President Andrzej Duda and Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović. The Three Seas Initiative is aimed at developing infrastructure in Eastern Europe, which would create solid foundations for economic growth in key areas - energy, transport and digital economy. 12 countries joined the Initiative - Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. The Three Seas Initiative’s priority is to create in Eastern Europe a coherent and well integrated infrastructure, which would enable to overcome development deficiencies caused by a turbulent history of this region. This would eliminate infrastructural and economic imbalances of the common European market. The Initiative’s main added value lies in ensuring political support at the highest level for vital investments in Eastern Europe. Therefore, the Three Seas Initiative is pro-European in nature and complements other formats for regional co-operation. It is also a valuable platform for strengthening transatlantic links.