9TH Summit of the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) held in Vilnius

The Three Seas initiative aims to promote cooperation, especially development of infrastructure in the energy, transport, and digital sectors. It targets new investments, economic growth, and energy security. 

The official delegation of the Republic of Croatia at the Summit was led by Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman. It was confirmed that Croatia will host the 3SI Summit and Business Forum of the in 2026, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Dubrovnik Declaration, the document that established the 3SI.

A business forum was also held as part of the summit. B2B/B2G business discussions at the forum were organized for companies in the field of net-zero technologies for energy resilience and advanced technologies and innovations for digital transformation and resilience.

Economic delegation led by the general secretary of the HGK Marina Rožić participated at the business forum. The economic delegation members were: INA, LNG Hrvatska, Odasiljači i veze, Plinacro, Vlahović Grupa, Dizz Concept, and Green Data Istra. Also, there were representatives of the Central State Office for the Development of Digital Society and HBOR.

Every year, the summit brings together 13 countries. They are located between the Baltic, Black, and Adriatic seas. They are Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Also, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, Romania, Greece, and Bulgaria. 3SI's strategic partners are the USA, Germany, and the EC. Ukraine (from 2022) and Moldova (from 2023) are associated participating states. Also, to the United States, Germany, and the EC, Japan has joined the Initiative as a new strategic partner this year.

The Initiative's main goal is to encourage the region's economic growth and resilience. It will do so by developing its transport, energy, and digital infrastructure.

In 2023, 32% of Croatia's trade was with Three Seas Initiative countries. Member countries of the Initiative account for 26.9% of Croatia's exports. They are 34.9% of Croatia's imports.

Last year, tourists from the Three Seas countries were almost 33% of all foreign arrivals and 37.1% of their overnight stays in Croatia. Most came from Austria, Slovenia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia.