The Three Seas Initiative Summit in Bucharest

Bucharest will host the Three Seas Initiative Summit over September 17-18

Corina Cristea, 23.08.2018, 13:11

Launched by Croatia and Poland in 2015, the Three Seas Initiative is aimed at providing political support for enhanced economic cooperation in fields such as energy, transports, telecommunications and environmental protection for states along a north-south axis from the Baltic Sea to the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea. At the same time, the Initiative serves as a platform for top-level dialogue between EU and NATO member states.

The Baltic and Black Seas are key to the Alliances deterrence policy on its eastern flank. In turn, the Adriatic Sea plays a special role, given Croatias status as EU and NATO member state. The third summit of the Three Seas Initiative will be hosted by Romania next month, after the first two were hosted by Croatia in 2016 and Poland in 2017, respectively. This years agenda includes a business forum for the first time.

The summit is also set to ratify a series of top-priority cooperation projects in the fields of transports, energy and IT, meant to boost the economic development of states in the region, to set up a network of chambers of commerce and to encourage the creation of an investment fund for the Initiative.

Chaired by President Klaus Iohannis, the summit will bring together heads of state from Central and South-Eastern Europe, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker as well as top-level officials from the United States and representatives of international and European financial institutions.

Attending the Business Forum will be over 600 participants, including business people and officials. Romania is making due preparations for this event. To that end, the Romanian President paid a visit to Poland, in June, for talks with his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda, on the upcoming summit.

The summit in Bucharest was also one of focal points on the agenda of an event organized by the Atlantic Council. In his keynote address, Romanias Ambassador to Washington, George Cristian Maior referred to Romanias objectives at the Three Seas Initiative Summit.

The Ambassador wants the Initiative to enter the next phase of qualitative development, that should bring about tangible results, including by means of a list of strategic projects in the fields of transports, energy and IT. George Cristian Maior also referred to the special opportunity the Initiative presents for a constructive cooperation between the EU and the USA.