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Soft power through cooperation in the Three Seas Initiative

According to the Three Seas Initiative (3SI), this regional format is mainly analysed and discussed in relation to the economic problems of this region of 13 countries in Central, Northern and Southern Europe. In this article, the author, Piotr Wójcik, focuses on the soft power dimension of the 3SI. This aspect focuses on economic, regional, social, scientific, educational and cultural cooperation in the Three Seas Region and within its members.

3SI cooperation is not only about the economy. What about regions, society, science, education and culture? Table 1 below summarises the five areas that will be analysed in the next sections of this paper.

Table 1. The soft-power forms of cooperation within the Three Seas linked to the respective fields

3SI areas of cooperation

Source: Author’s own compilation.

1. Three Seas Local Government Congress Economic Forum

Before the creation of the annual Three Seas event, which brings together representatives of local governments and other branches, the most important event was the Three Seas Initiative Forum of Regions, initiated by the President of Poland Andrzej Duda in 2018 in Rzeszów. Three years later, on 29-30 June 2021, the first edition of the Three Seas Local Authorities Congress was held together with the second Three Seas Initiative Forum of Regions. After that, both events were organised every year as one, the 3Seas Local Government Congress Economic Forum, which is characterised as a two-day congress bringing together many (even more than 730) participants from different countries (from the region and beyond) specialising in various fields, for example, economics, international relations (especially inter- and transregional), transport, energy, digitalisation, finance, with separate parts such as the Economic Forum, the Three Seas Regions, science and international sessions.[1] In addition to the adopted declarations and other actions within the 3SI cooperation, which will be discussed in the next parts of the publication, attention should also be paid to various undertakings. It is worth mentioning the second edition of the Three Seas Local Congress in Lublin, where the international agreement Joint Declaration of Cooperation for the Development of European Transport Corridors “Baltic – Black Sea/Aegean” and “Western Balkans” was signed by the Minister of Transport and Communications of Bulgaria and the Minister of Infrastructure of Poland.[2] Both projects are part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), an instrument that includes networks of different types of transport links, such as roads, railways, airports, sea and river routes and transport hubs. It facilitates the financing and implementation of communications investments in the EU and some neighbouring countries (such as the Western Balkans and Ukraine). In addition to the main forms of soft power cooperation of the Three Seas format (including regional, social, scientific, educational and cultural), its development is embedded in the 3Seas Local Government Congress and Economic Forum. Some of the initiatives undertaken will be signed at subsequent 3SI Summits.

2. Three Seas Regions Network

The Economic Network of the Three Seas Regions, a form of cooperation between the local governments of the 3SI countries, was established during the Economic Congress of the Three Seas Local Governments in June 2002. The Lublin Declaration (on the establishment of the Network) was then signed by the 15 founding members. At that time, the network included 5 local governments from Poland and Romania, 3 from Lithuania and 1 from Slovakia and Hungary.[3] In the next three years (until 2024), the network gathered 25 members, with the inclusion of 2 members from Romania[4] and 8 from Ukraine[5] (as an associated participating state of the Three Seas format). At the third edition of the event, held in Lublin in 2023, the Network was given a stable basis and formalised through the adoption of the Agreement setting out the principles of its operation, signed by the above-mentioned fifteen local governments. In the joint declaration, the parties undertook to use the partnership for sustainable and responsible development of the regions in the member countries of the Three Seas Network and to popularise cross-border and international cooperation. These goals are to be achieved by, among other things, reducing the infrastructure gap between Central and Eastern Europe and the Western part of the continent, developing interregional links at local and regional level in the fields of culture, tourism and business, constructing joint investments (as well as Via Carpatia, Via Baltica, Rail Baltica, Rail-2-Sea and Rail Carpathia) and creating ways for more effective use of EU funds, national instruments and the Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund (3SIIF).[6]

The development of the network can be seen first of all in the 3Seas Local Government Congress and Economic Forum, especially in the following decision on its development and joint panels on regional development in the 3SI area, including representatives of its various regions in different countries. Secondly, on the website of the 3SI Regions Network, there are mainly events organised within the framework of the 3Seas Local Government Forum and only one other event on the reconstruction of Ukraine.[7] Despite some actions taken within this network, there are still no visible tangible effects of the cooperation, including some joint projects and initiatives that will push it more towards its implementation, at least on a small scale.

3. Three Seas Initiative Civil Society Forum

Regarding the strengthening of the social aspect within the 3SI format, it is worth mentioning the Three Seas Initiative Civil Society Forum (CSF). Initiated by the President of Latvia, Egils Levits, this platform was held for the first time during the 3SI Summit in Riga in 2022. The purpose of the 3SCSF is to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and ideas between different civil society stakeholders in the 3SI member countries, with a view to establishing a long-term partnership. The CSF was opened by the President of Latvia, Egils Levits, who participated in the panel “Defining the political agenda of the Three Seas Initiative”. In addition to the Latvian Head of State, other politicians and various decision-makers from the region took part. They included state and EU policy makers such as Evika Silina (Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister of Latvia), Edgars Bondars (Ambassador-at-Large for 3SI Summit Preparation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia), Tiit Riisalo (Ambassador-at-Large for Connectivity and Three Seas (in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia) and Janusz Pietkiewicz (Member of the European Economic and Social Committee, from Poland). They were joined by representatives of educational institutions, private companies, non-governmental and governmental think tanks. Importantly, the topics discussed were not only transport, energy, digitalisation (the 3SI core pillars) and security, but also geopolitics, climate change, democratic rules and principles, such as the role of 3SI citizens in shaping and influencing decision-making in their countries, the 3SI area, the European Union as a whole and beyond Europe. According to the official document of the Civil Society Forum,[8] there were 13 participants (as moderators or speakers) from five Three Seas members: 6 from Latvia, 3 from Poland and 1 each from Estonia, Lithuania, Czech Republic and Romania. As for the specifics of the Forum, the issues discussed were the role of the Three Seas in civil society, the potential benefits of the 3SI format for civil society, and the possible importance and place of increased cooperation with countries outside the Three Seas region. In the CSF, the civil society representatives referred to 5 main issues (connectivity, infrastructure, digitalisation, security and governance) and proposed broad recommendations on these pillars, which are necessary for further discussion and implementation in the partnership involving policy makers, business representatives and their communities, and also society at large.[9]

However, no civil society forum was held after the 2022 Three Seas Summit in Riga. Moreover, at the institutional level, it was only directly emphasised in the Joint Declaration of the 7th 3SI Summit in Riga in 2022, where the sides of the document underlined the necessity of public discussion in order to raise awareness about the Three Seas Initiative and to better interpret the needs and expectations of the civil society for the improvement of infrastructure connections. Furthermore, the Parties to the Declaration supported the idea of organising the 3SI Civil Society Forum on a regular basis in the future.[10]

With regard to the joint documents of the next 8th and 3SI Summits in Bucharest and Vilnius, respectively, the reaffirmation of the strengthening of the resilience of the infrastructure in the Three Seas area to enhance civilian and military mobility on the North-South axis was underlined. The Parties to the Declarations also underlined the correlation of these actions and objectives with the EU Action Plan on Military Mobility, including the civil aspect of the development of infrastructure links.[11] Although the mentioned issue is necessary within the development of the Three Seas, the soft dimension of civil influence (including greater participation of people and their contribution to the 3SI format) has not been touched there. Otherwise, without the activities of the 3SICSF and its further and stable development, it is difficult to discuss the civil factor in building relations between the 3SI states and their societies.

4. Three Seas University Network

At the third 3Seas Local Government Congress in 2023, an agreement was signed on the establishment of the Three Seas University Network (3SUN). At that moment, 13 universities joined the project, exactly 1 from Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Slovenia and 2 from Lithuania, Slovakia and Ukraine (as a participating status country of the Three Seas format).[12] The project must create and maintain cooperation, carry out joint research and implement innovations in the field of education. The realisation of these assumptions aims to strengthen the cooperation between universities in Europe, to intensify exchanges at international level and to develop joint research leading to publications, to obtain grants for joint projects and to implement them. Finally, they should lead to a greater complementarity between science and business in the 3SI region. During the next 3SI Local Government Congress in June 2024, three more entities became members of the network – one each from the Czech Republic, Hungary and Georgia (which has no formal status in terms of cooperation with the Three Seas Initiative). This expansion brings the number of universities involved in the initiative to 16 (as of 2024).[13] This project was initiated by the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (which also invited universities from other 3SI countries and Ukraine) and this institution is responsible for the functioning of the network.[14]

Previously, 22 panels (15 in 2023[15] and 7 in 2024[16]). At the first edition of the 3SUN conference, entitled The Three Seas Universities Network towards the challenges of science and the region, the panelists discussed the cooperation of universities in the 3SI area as a tool for the development of the Three Seas micro-region, not only in the research aspect, but also in security (including its cyber dimension), administrative (cooperation with public administration and European institutions) and broad economic cooperation (including digitalisation and reconstruction of Ukraine).[17] With regard to the first mentioned 3SI University Conference, special attention should be paid to the two panels entitled The Three Seas University Network as an Instrument of Research Cooperation and the separate panel entitled The Three Seas Initiative as a research subject: Exploring regional cooperation from different academic perspectives. Meanwhile, the second edition in 2024, entitled The Three Seas Universities Network – Challenges and Opportunities towards the Digital Future of Universities, addressed the issue of the potential development of science and education using digital solutions such as Artificial Intelligence (AI).[18] In the framework of this scientific conference, The Three Seas University Network towards contemporary challenges of science and the region session should have been the most significant one, being directly focused on the evolution of the 3SUN. With five live speakers from the university environment such as prof. Beata Piskorska, prof. Marcin Szewczak (both from Poland), prof. Iva Lopižić (Croatia), prof. Ludvik Toplak (Slovenia) and prof. Grigoris Zarotiadis (Greece), the above-mentioned issues were touched upon, including the national perspective of the development of the 3Seas University Network from some specific 3Seas countries.

However, despite some interest of universities from different 3Seas members, and even some from participating countries (Ukraine) and potential ones that could have this status in the future (Georgia), the effects of the cooperation of the 3Seas University Network were only visible during the last 3Seas Local Congresses in Lublin (2023 and 2024). First of all, there is a lack or insufficient amount of financial resources to develop this endeavour more effectively. Based on the above-mentioned problematic financial issues, the EU funds and other related instruments would be useful to implement further actions within the network. Having the possibility to get some funding, it is also necessary for the functioning to establish a solid network of cooperation between appropriate research institutions from different Three Seas countries. This condition would be very important for the establishment of precise plans enabling the implementation of joint university initiatives within the 3SUN. Furthermore, in order to improve the scientific and educational partnership within the Three Seas University Network, a number of measures need to be taken from the ground up. In this context, more state financial resources and interest from public and local administrations are needed, as well as some resources from various members of the network for joint projects. The basic thing that should be done within 3SUN is to involve more diverse entities such as student associations, research institutions from different 3SI members and thematic non-governmental organisations. The first step to achieve this goal is to try to establish cooperation with the previous partners within the network and also with the entities that were previously represented at the 3Seas Local Government Congresses in Lublin, but do not belong to the Three Seas University Network.

5. Three Seas Cultural Cooperation Network

As the 9th 3SI Summit in Vilnius, there were organised side events. Overall, these were a wide variety of discussion panels led by experts in foreign affairs (or more generally in some of their fields) and dedicated to specific issues related to the Three Seas. One of them concerned the Three Seas Initiative Cultural Cooperation Network (3SICCN) and its launch as a multilateral form of cooperation in the field of culture. It was officially established on 10 April 2024 in the capital of Lithuania by the University of the National Education Commission in Krakow, the Three Seas Art Foundation and several partners from the 3SI and associated participating states. This network was established to bring together cultural institutions, museums, galleries, art schools, artists’ associations and art critics.[19] Its aims are to promote regional and international cultural cooperation embedded in the Three Seas Initiative and the wider European community.[20] The 3SICCN also aims to support each participating member in conducting cultural activities and art research-related activities.[21] At the moment of the 3SICCN’s establishment, 16 organisations (and the founding members) signed the Agreement on the Establishment of the Three Seas Initiative Cultural Cooperation Network. Among them were various entities from different 3SI countries and associated participating states, such as 4 from Poland, 2 from Lithuania, Slovakia and Ukraine, 1 from Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Greece, and 1 from France (led by the Polish independent curator of art events, researcher and author of articles on culture, Małgorzata Kaźmierczak[22]).[23]

As far as the network is concerned, it could be significant that some partners not only from Poland (such as Łukasz Murzyn, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of the National Education Commission in Krakow and at the same time President of the Board of the Three Seas Art Foundation) but also from Lithuania took part in the opening (such as the Ambassador at Large for Connectivity in the Lithuanian MFA Gediminas Varvuolis, the Vice-Chancellor of Vytautas Magnus University Mindaugas Nefas). During the discussion, 11 participants took the floor (4 from Poland, 2 from Ukraine and 1 from Lithuania, Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria from different cultural institutions).[24] In addition, the partners of this initiative are working on the joint organisation of the cyclical Three Seas Art Festival, which will start as a biennial in 2025 and will visit different locations in the 3SI area.[25] So far, it is known from the Declaration that the cooperation within the 3SICCN will be mainly focused on the organisation of the 3SI Art Festival every two years in different places in the 3SI region chosen by the parties to the agreement. However, the network may also realise other forms of partnership, such as the joint organisation of exhibitions, scientific conferences, residencies, internships and publications, in accordance with the main objectives of the Three Seas Cultural Network, as well as the promotion of the culture and art of the 3SI countries. The joint nature of this undertaking could be perceived, through the above examples, also in the rule of obtaining financial sources for the implementation of jointly agreed initiatives and popularising them through social media, also through mutual cooperation.[26] According to some sources, it is emphasized that the Arts Festival within the 3SICCN will culminate the cooperation.[27] Interpreting this “final” stage of the network, it is understandable that some smaller and local events should take place before this festival.

6. Weak links but similar challenges

Another view of the social bonds within the Three Seas from the author’s perspective.

The author of this publication, Piotr Wójcik, is a Three Seas Initiative analyst who cooperates with various NGOs and academic publishers in writing short articles and longer publications. Apart from these activities, he promotes the 3SI format (and analyses all the issues related to it) in his “public diplomacy” way by participating in some related events and sharing these experiences on his social media. In addition to participating in conferences and other discussion forums, he regularly shares his knowledge and tries to interest his colleagues and observers of the Three Seas in ordinary situations. He realises these undertakings from some memories and comparisons regarding certain 3SI states to the presence of some particular places there (cities, towns, museums and parks), combining his analytical skills in global and regional foreign affairs with his strategy-oriented way of presenting in his social media. Furthermore, in these situations he often notices and touches on some issues related to the relations between some 3SI states and concrete ones with the surrounding countries (depending on the member of the Three Seas and the region it is closely situated to). He also cooperates with foreign experts in international cooperation and exchanges knowledge and ideas with them, which is very important for building relations between societies from different countries.

In all the above-mentioned actions, the author perceives a low awareness and knowledge of nations from all the countries of the Three Seas. In his observations, he has noticed these tendencies among young leaders from various countries (in various fields such as diplomacy, politics, the third sector, university studies and science). These phenomena could also be observed in other age groups, but due to his age, Piotr Wójcik has the most contact with people in their 20s and 30s. However, despite these perceptions, the author also observed the interest of his colleagues in making contact with people from other 3SI states (and not only), such as the Three Seas Young Leaders Academy in 2022 and the Three Seas Genfree Conference. Overall, these contacts have developed among students participating in Erasmus, other exchange programmes and all kinds of such undertakings.

Although these links are very weak and there are some disparities (language groups, levels of development, geopolitical perceptions and the resulting policies, which tend to focus on particular countries), most of these states are facing the same challenges (e.g. energy, climate change, demography, lack of infrastructure and the middle development trap). Most of them were discussed in the report of the Polish Institute of Economics (PIE) on the Three Seas Initiative. The authors of this publication – Konrad Popławski and Jakub Jakóbowski – highlighted, among other things, the lower fertility rate in Central Europe than in the western part of the continent (1.51 and 1.64). They also explained that in the United Kingdom, for example, the average fertility rate is 1.8 children, but for women of immigrant origin it is 2.2, and for women from the new EU member states it is the same.[28] This phenomenon affects not only the UK but also other Western European countries with higher standards of living. The PIE publication also points out that, despite its fast-growing economies, the 3SI area faces barriers to further and faster development, such as the poor development of transport, energy and digital connectivity in the region, higher gas prices than in Western Europe, and a lack of investment in infrastructure.[29] There are also some new trends in the Three Seas region, and one of them is dedicated to climate change. In particular, this trend focuses on the European Green Deal, which could be a challenge for the 3SI countries to introduce low-carbon solutions in their economies.[30] Table 2 showcases a summary of previous Sections 1 to 5.

Table 2. Summary of the soft-power forms of cooperation within the Three Seas organised by initiative name, field, short characteristics and aims

3SI areas of cooperation

Source: Author’s own compilation.

7. Conclusion and recommendations

In summary, the main undertakings within the soft power dimension of the Three Seas are The Three Seas Local Government Congress Economic Forum (for the economy), the Three Seas Regions Network (for the regions), the Three Seas Initiative Civil Society Forum (for society), the Three Seas University Network (for science and education) and the Three Seas Cultural Cooperation Network (for culture). The first initiative brings together some of the others, especially those that were developed during the 3Seas Lublin Congress. These projects differ from each other slightly or significantly. In most cases, however, they share common problems, such as underfunding and underinvestment, insufficient interest from some 3SI member countries (mainly Austria, the Czech Republic, but also Slovenia and Croatia), weak recognition and the very early process of their development. Key recommendations are summarised in Table 3 below.

When entire instruments are described as being dedicated to the soft power dimension of the Three Seas Initiative, a fundamental problem appears to be their insufficient institutionalisation. In this respect, some undertakings are institutionalised, which ensures their continuity (such as the 3SI Local Government Congress Economic Forum, the Regions and the University Networks). On the other hand, there are projects that are not institutionally coordinated, such as the 3SI Civil Society Forum. It is often emphasised within the research and academic community on Central European affairs that a 3SI format secretariat should be established to coordinate the implementation of the main 3SI undertakings. Currently, several 3SI soft power projects are supervised by different organisations, such as the 3Seas Local Government Congress and the Network of Regions by the Lubelskie Marshall Office and the University Network by the John Paul II Catholic University (KUL). The created secretariat could be the solution to the obstacle of the functioning of these instruments, supporting their development while preserving the autonomy of the entities that launched previous initiatives (such as the Lubelskie Marshall Office and KUL). On the other hand, the concrete structure, staff and tasks should be a separate issue, also guaranteeing the stability of the functioning of these projects and taking into account the common ones that are beneficial for each participating country and entity at the same time.

The other accompanying solution to enhance 3SI cooperation in soft power areas is to embed the Three Seas Initiative Civil Society Forum and the Three Seas Cultural Cooperation Network within the 3Seas Local Government Congress Economic Forum. This should be done along the lines of the Three Seas University Network, where special panels on science and education are held at the aforementioned annual event. Civil society and cultural conferences should be organised along the same lines. With regard to the 3SI Civil Society Forum and other initiated projects within the 3SI format, there is a need for willingness and concrete actions to develop them. In this regard, if some such initiatives are created, there should be a common commitment and cooperation to further implement them.

With regard to the joint and beneficial partnership for all countries involved, the aforementioned Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund could only support the implementation of punctual and linear infrastructure investments. By ensuring the internal financial instrument of the 3SI for regions, society, science and education, and culture, a separate financial instrument should be created to finance projects of common character in these areas. This new fund should also facilitate student, scientific and socio-cultural exchanges between the different countries of the Three Seas, while promoting appropriate and specific regions.

Regarding the low awareness of the Three Seas format and its soft power initiatives and their potential positive influence, the 3SI societies should know that they are concerned. In addition, they should be aware of the potentially great results of the 3SI projects implemented for them and their autonomies. In order to solve this problem, it is important to promote the implemented projects and their potential results much more. But it should be the set of activities realised by the concrete soft power networks, following the specific fields (like the social cooperation promoted by the Three Seas Initiative Civil Society Forum and the cultural one by the Three Seas Cultural Cooperation Network). On the other hand, if concrete actions are to be taken, they should be included in the separate catalogue based on the list of 3SI priority infrastructure projects on the official website of the Three Seas Initiative. This is the set of common transport, energy and digital routes with the combination of any of their specifics and different countries involved in them. After its creation and development (including the simultaneous implementation of the projects), it would be easier to popularise the joint 3SI soft power investments not only within the society, but also at the governmental, intergovernmental, institutional, regional and local levels.

As a major event, the aforementioned annual congress in Lublin should also focus attention on the 3SI’s neighbouring countries. In this sense, it should especially concern Ukraine (which is strongly represented and involved in some Three Seas soft power projects), Moldova (as the second associated participating state), Georgia and the Western Balkan states. Some of them are more or less (depending on the country) interested in cooperating more with and within the Three Seas Initiative and this format naturally addresses them. Moreover, these countries are involved in the EU accession process and could have much in common with the 3SI members, not only in economic and political terms, but also in terms of soft power. In order to increase the interest of these countries, the Eastern Partnership (EaP) and the Western Balkans (WB) and the perspectives of possible cooperation between them and the 3SI format should be discussed at the Lublin Congress. In particular, these forums should also refer to the Three Seas transregional cooperation, which will enable the EaP and WB members to achieve their economic goals and bring them closer to the European Union.

Table 3. Scheme of the challenges of the Three Seas soft power cooperation based on the main problems, recommended solutions and the expected results3SI areas of cooperation

Source: Author’s own compilation.

References

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  26. Agreement on the establishment of the Three Seas Initiative Cultural Cooperation Network (3SICCN), 3SICCN, 2024, P. 3-4, https://3siccn.uken.krakow.pl/wp-content/uploads/sites/154/2024/07/AGREEMENT-3SICCN_web.pdf [accessed 13.10.2024] ↑
  27. Knutd joins the Three Seas Initiative Network for Cultural Cooperation, KNUTD, 2024, https://en.knutd.edu.ua/events-and-publications/news/16656/ [accessed 13.10.2024] ↑
  28. Building closer connections. The Three Seas Region as an economic area, Polish Economic Institute, 2020, P. 18-19, https://pie.net.pl/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/PIE-Three-Seas.pdf [accessed 15.10.2024]The given data include the period 2009-2018 and come from the Eurostat from 2020. ↑
  29. Building closer connections. The Three Seas Region as an economic area, Polish Economic Institute, 2020, P. 18-19, https://pie.net.pl/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/PIE-Three-Seas.pdf [accessed 15.10.2024]These prices from the European states are from the first half of 2019. ↑
  30. Building closer connections. The Three Seas Region as an economic area, Polish Economic Institute, 2020, P. 30, https://pie.net.pl/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/PIE-Three-Seas.pdf [accessed 15.10.2024] ↑

 

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Piotr Wójcik

About Piotr Wójcik

Piotr is M.A. in International Relations from the University of Warsaw. In his research, he is particularly interested in the Three Seas Initiative, which was also the topic of his Master’s thesis. He is also keen on the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership, especially with regards to connectivity. He holds a postgraduate degree from the European Academy of Diplomacy (EAD) and holds a wealth of experience in the field: for instance, he has completed his traineeship at the Embassy of Poland in Lithuania. He has authored several articles and analyses for think tanks and publishing houses, such as the Institute of New Europe, Jagiellonian Club, and IGI Global. He also held scientific conferences and prelections at, among others, the official Three Seas Summit in 2024. Finally, he is involved with the Three Seas Initiative Research Centre Project (Polish Academy of Science) and is also a member of the Youth Polish Association – Forum of Young Diplomats (Forum Młodych Dyplomatów, FMD).

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