Deputy minister Paweł Jabłoński takes part in Bled Strategic Forum
06.09.2021
On 2 September, MFA Undersecretary of State and Government Plenipotentiary for the Three Seas Initiative Paweł Jabłoński attended the Bled Strategic Forum, an annual international conference held in Bled, Slovenia, during which he took part in the session “Building connectivity in CEE – the case of the Three Seas Initiative.” Speaking at the panel, the deputy minister pointed out the Initiative’s key importance in bridging the gap in economic development between the eastern and western parts of the European Union. He stressed that achieving social and economic cohesion and an equal quality of life is essential for Europe to be truly united. On questions about the convergence of the Three Seas Initiative’s goal with that of EU integration, the MFA deputy head stressed that the two formats are fully compatible.
“The Three Seas Initiative was never intended to be an alternative to European integration – on the contrary, it will strengthen cooperation between close countries with similar social and economic backgrounds as well as common challenges and objectives, which in turn will foster cohesion within the EU.”
Deputy Minister Jabłoński also noted that no country can give up responsibility for its own development and rely solely on the EU’s support. Effective cooperation between Three Seas countries is therefore needed in order to jointly invest national, EU and international financial resources – and, as a result, to drive an even more dynamic growth. The MFA deputy head stressed that attracting private capital is also particularly important for the region’s development. To this end, the Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund was set up, operating on a commercial basis and managed independently of politicians.
The Polish undersecretary of state drew attention to how much the countries that created the Initiative six years ago have achieved so far. “It is 17 years since most of the Three Seas countries, including Poland, joined the EU. This time has proved that we were able to grow much faster than forecast,” said the deputy chief of Polish diplomacy.
He added that thanks to cooperation within the Three Seas Initiative, its members can grow even more rapidly, making it possible to expect that disparities in the level of economic development across the EU would be minimised by 2030.
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Launched in 2015 by the presidents of Poland and Croatia, the Three Seas Initiative aims at strengthening the unity of the EU and the Euro-Atlantic area. The Initiative is composed of twelve Central and South-Eastern European countries, which focus on developing infrastructure links in transport, energy and digitalisation in order to unlock their potential.
Held since 2006, the Bled Strategic Forum brings together policy makers from different fields to hold an open debate on contemporary policy, security and development challenges. The Forum has now become one of the major international conferences in Central and Eastern Europe. This year’s sixteenth edition is attended by a dozen or so prime ministers and presidents of European countries, President of the European Council Charles Michel, representatives of the European Commission, members of governments, experts, representatives of NGOs and business. The Polish delegation was led by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
MFA Press Office
Photo: Krystian Maj / Chancellery of the Prime Minister
