The Three Seas Initiative and its Economic and Geopolitical Effect on the European Union and Central and Eastern Europe

Grzegorz Zbińkowski

doi:10.2478/cer-2019-0015

Authors

Grzegorz Zbińkowski The Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4993-5547

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2478/cer-2019-0015

Keywords:

European Union, Three Seas Initiative, energy security, Central and Eastern European Countries, geopolitics

Abstract

The objective of this paper is a presentation of results of an analysis of the Three Seas Initiative (TSI), whose participating countries (except Austria) treat it as a method of: a) reducing their dependence on crude oil and natural gas imports from Russia, thus increasing their energy security; b) accelerated filling of the persisting civilisation gap between the initiative participants and more developed EU countries owing to the improved quality and maturity of the transport and digital North‑South infrastructure; and c) the actual implementation of the “vision of a Europe whole, free and at peace.” The analysis has assumed the following research hypothesis: The CEE states’ joining the EU has not markedly changed those states’ development, as material differences do still exist in this respect between the new EU states and the old ones, which was verified positively.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Announcement for Tuesday, 29 September 2015, President of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar‑Kitarović. Available at: http://predsjednica.hr/rezultati/#1 (accessed: 6.09.2018).
Google Scholar

Global Competitiveness Report 2017–2018, The World Economic Forum. Available at: http://reports.weforum.org/global‑competitiveness‑index–2017–2018/downloads/ (accessed: 9.09.2018).
Google Scholar

Gniazdowski, M. (2017), Trójmorze – nowy instrument w polskiej polityce zagranicznej [Three Seas Initiative – new tool of the Polish foreign politics] (in Polish), “Polski Przegląd Dyplomatyczny, Polski Instytut Spraw Międzynarodowych”[The Polish Diplomatic Review of the Polish Institute of International Affairs], No. 4 (71) 2017.
Google Scholar

Hunter, Robert E., A ‘Europe Whole and Free and at Peace’, the RAND Blog, 9.09.2008. Available at: https://www.rand.org/blog/2008/09/a‑europe‑whole‑and‑free‑and‑at‑peace.html (accessed: 9.09.2018).
Google Scholar

Introduction to Newsletter of the Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia signed by Kolinda Grabar‑Kitarović, ‘Views and News’, No. 6, September 2016, Zagreb, Croatia, p. 3. Available at: http://predsjednica.hr/files/NEWSLETTER%20VIEWS%20and%20NEWS_no%206. pdf (accessed: 6.09.2018).
Google Scholar

Joint Atlantic Council – PwC Report Joint Atlantic Council – PwC Report “A Road Ahead – CEE Transport Infrastructure Dynamics”, 2017. Available at: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/utilities/publications/assets/pwc‑the‑road‑ahead.pdf (accessed: 9.09.2018).
Google Scholar

Orzelska‑Stączek, A. (2018), Inicjatywa Środkowoeuropejska a Trójmorze – odmienne koncepcje współpracy w Europie Środkowo‑Wschodniej [The CEE initiative and the three Seas – different cooperation concepts in the CEE] (in Polish), “Studia Polityczne” [Political Studies], No. 1 (46) 2018.
Google Scholar

Popescu, O. (2017), Trójmorze – nowy instrument w polskiej polityce zagranicznej [Three Seas Initiative – new tool of the Polish foreign politics] (in Polish), “Polski Przegląd Dyplomatyczny, Polski Instytut Spraw Międzynarodowych” [The Polish Diplomatic Review of the Polish Institute of International Affairs], No. 4 (71) 2017.
Google Scholar

Remarks by General James L. Jones, Jr. at the Dubrovnik Three Seas Initiative Presidential Roundtable. Available at: http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/news/transcripts/remarks‑by‑general‑james‑l‑jones‑jr‑at‑the‑dubrovnik‑three‑seas‑initiative‑presidential‑roundtable (accessed: 6.09.2018).
Google Scholar

Sienkiewicz, M., Koncepcja Trójmorza w polityce zagranicznej Polski po 2015 r. [The Three Seas idea in the Polish foreign policy after 2015] (in Polish), “Dyplomacja i Bezpieczeństwo” [Diplomacy and Security], No. 1, 2016. Available at: http://www.repozytorium.uni.wroc.pl/Content/79656/Sienkiewicz_M_DiB–2016.pdf (accessed: 26.09. 2018).
Google Scholar

The emergence of a European Project. Three Summits for the Three Seas Initiative, ‘New Strategy Center, Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich’, Warszawa, 2018, p. 4. Available at: https://newstrategy center.ro/wp‑content/uploads/2016/04/NSC_OSW_3SI_policy_paper.pdf (accessed: 6.09.2018).
Google Scholar

The Joint Declaration of the Third Summit of the Three Seas Initiative. Available at: http://www.presidency.ro/ro/media/comunicate‑de‑presa/joint‑declaration‑of‑the‑third‑summit‑of‑the‑three‑seas‑initiative (accessed: 26.09.2018).
Google Scholar

The joint report by the Atlantic Council and Central Europe Energy Partners in coordination with the Central & Eastern Europe Development Institute with the support of Grupa LOTOS S.A. and Przedsiębiorstwo Eksploatacji Rurociągów Naftowych S.A., PERN Przyjaźń. Available at: http://www.ceep.be/www/wp‑content/uploads/2015/03/Europe‑needs‑an‑energy‑highway_PR_CEEP.pdf (accessed: 6.09.2018).
Google Scholar

The Joint Statement for the creation of the network of the Chambers of Commerce of the ”Three Seas Initiative”. Available at: http://www.presidency.ro/ro/media/comunicate‑de‑presa/joint‑statement‑for‑the‑creation‑of‑the‑network‑of‑the‑chambers‑of‑commerce‑of‑the‑three‑seas‑initiative (accessed: 26.09. 2018).
Google Scholar

The Joint Statement on the Three Seas Initiative (the Dubrovnik Statement). Available at: http://predsjednica.hr/files/The%20Joint%20Statement%20on%20The%20Three%20Seas%20Initiative(1).pdf (accessed: 6.09.2018).
Google Scholar

The official Eurostat database. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database (accessed: 6.09.2018).
Google Scholar

The official website of U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Germany, A Europe Whole and Free. Available at: https://usa.usembassy.de/etexts/ga6–890531.htm (accessed: 9.09.2018).
Google Scholar

The official website of the Whitehouse, Remarks by President Trump to the People of Poland, issued on 6.07.2017. Available at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings‑statements/remarks‑president‑trump‑people‑poland/ (accessed: 9.09.2018).
Google Scholar

The official website of the Three Seas Initiative Bucharest Summit, Q&A. Available at: http://three-seas.eu/qa/ (accessed: 12.09.2018).
Google Scholar

The Second Summit of the 3 Seas Initiative Joint Declaration. Available at: http://three‑seas.eu/wp‑content/uploads/2018/06/WARSAW.pdf (accessed: 11.09.2018).
Google Scholar

The Three Seas Initiative – Priority Interconnection Projects. Available at: http://three-seas.eu/press-releases/ (accessed: 26.09.2018).
Google Scholar

Ukielski, P., Mapa Trójmorza. Przegląd punktów wspólnych i rozbieżności w polityce 12 państw regionu [The Three Seas Map. A review of convergences and divergences] (in Polish), Report No. 3/2016, Centrum Analiz Klubu Jagiellonśkiego [Jagiellonian Club Analysis Centre]. Available at: http://cakj.pl/wp‑content/uploads/2016/11/Raport–3–2016.pdf (accessed: 26.09.2018).
Google Scholar

Wiśniewski, B. (2017), Trójmorze – nowy instrument w polskiej polityce zagranicznej [Three Seas Initiative – new tool of the Polish foreign politics] (in Polish), “Polski Przegląd Dyplomatyczny”, Polski Instytut Spraw Międzynarodowych [The Polish Diplomatic Review of the Polish Institute of International Affairs], No. 4 (71) 2017.
Google Scholar