Zagreb, 29 April 2025 (Hina/MIA) — Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković announced Tuesday that Croatia was assuming the chairmanship of the Three Seas Initiative, an informal platform launched in 2015 by Zagreb and Warsaw.

PM Plenković is in Warsaw, where he took part in a presidential business panel titled "Connecting for Growth", held alongside the 3SI summit and attended by some 10 heads of state.

"As Croatia takes over the chairmanship of the 3SI, we look forward to hosting next year's summit and business forum. Our main priorities will be to strengthen economic and energy cooperation and improve infrastructure connectivity across the Baltic-Adriatic-Black Sea region," the prime minister said.

He emphasized the importance of improving project financing within the initiative and strengthening parliamentary cooperation. In the context of transatlantic ties, he highlighted the significance of the attendance of US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright at the summit.

Plenković described former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and Polish President Andrzej Duda as "visionaries" for their role in launching the initiative ten years ago to connect countries along the north-south axis between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Seas, with the aim of bridging the development gap between that part of the EU and its western part. He added that the initiative has since grown beyond its original goals and proved to be extremely important.

He reiterated that Croatia was becoming a new energy hub, stressing the importance of the northern Adriatic port city of Rijeka and the nearby island of Krk. He recalled that the LNG terminal capacity on Krk had been expanded to 6.1 billion cubic metres of gas per year, enabling supply to other Central and Eastern European countries.

Outgoing Polish President Andrzej Duda said the initiative had delivered "tangible results" and had become even more relevant after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He thanked the United States for its support from the outset.

This was the last major international event Duda will be hosting before his term ends in May.

Presidents who spoke at the business forum said the initiative had strengthened the energy independence, security and resilience of countries in the Baltic-Adriatic-Black Sea triangle through regional cooperation.

"Who could have imagined in 2015 that Europe would face such crises in the following ten years?” Bulgarian President Rumen Radev asked.

The Three Seas Initiative is a Croatian-Polish project launched in 2015 with strong US support. Alongside the two founding members, it includes the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece.

As Plenković noted, the Initiative was created not only to boost regional cooperation among the countries between the three seas but also to serve the EU as a whole and foster transatlantic cooperation.

This is especially important, Czech President Petr Pavel stressed, in times when there is security pressure from the east — referring to Russia — and economic pressure from the west, alluding to the unclear economic policies and tariffs of US President Donald Trump.

"This is not just a regional project but a strategic platform," Estonian President Alar Karis said.

The Initiative has always been based on strong transatlantic ties. The United States is a strategic partner, alongside Germany, the European Commission and Japan. Ukraine and Moldova are associated members.

Although full membership is limited to EU member states due to shared legislation and smoother implementation of objectives, the Initiative remains open to partnerships with other countries.

Montenegro and Albania are expected Tuesday to join the Initiative as associated members alongside Moldova and Ukraine. Turkey and Spain will become strategic partners. vm/mr