One of the highlights of the two-day Three Seas summit in Sofia was the debate as part of the Three Seas Business forum. During the panel, president Andrzej Duda pointed out that the Three Seas has been rapidly developing with each passing year.
“I have no doubts that the Three Seas Initiative is the strategic response of our region to current challenges, especially after the pandemic. Simultaneously, it also strengthens EU cohesiveness and enriches trans-Atlantic relations,” he said.
Duda added that the micro-economic foundations of Three Seas states are solid, and there is much optimism for quick reconstruction. According to data from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the expected GDP growth rate for Central Europe in 2022 is between 4.1 and 4.8 percent.
The president noted that within the next few years, several ambitious energy, transport and digital projects can be expected in the entire region. He emphasized that the Three Seas Initiative is already playing a key role in building a Europe of the future.
“We have become an appreciated model of cooperation and an example for other regions. Today, the Three Seas Initiative is an example to be followed,” the president declared.
In light of these ambitious investments, he was reminded of the Via Carpatia which will improve North-South road infrastructure in the region and will be one of the largest road investments in Poland. He explained that one of the reasons why Germany was the Three Seas’s strategic partner was due to its excellently developed road infrastructure, which is the best not only in the EU but the whole world.
? Prezydent @AndrzejDuda bierze udział w Szczycie Inicjatywy Trójmorza, który odbywa się w Sofii w Republice Bułgarii. pic.twitter.com/oncezA4u8r
— Kancelaria Prezydenta (@prezydentpl) July 8, 2021
US president Joe Biden also gave a speech during the summit, in which he pledged the strong support of the United States for the Three Seas. He underscored that the Three Seas has incredible potential and will strengthen the region’s security, which will then benefit the whole world.
“The United States will be your unfailing partner at every step,” assured the president.
“Together we look forward to proving how democracies can lead with their values and deliver for the needs of their people: ending the covid 19 pandemic and building with transparency a more resilient economy investing in high standard infrastructure,” said Joe Biden.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier pointed to the need to connect the Three Seas Initiative with EU projects, such as the European Green Order and the Recovery Plan.
The summit’s host, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev emphasized that the Three Seas was a platform meant to pave the way for economic growth in the areas of energy, transport and digitalization, with the aim to build a unified, prosperous Europe.
Title image: President of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev (right) welcomes Andrzej Duda, President of the Republic of Poland at Three Seas Summit in National Palace of Culture in Sofia, Thursday, July 8, 2021, AP Image.
