On March 28, 2024 a meeting was held in the premises of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Kyiv, dedicated to the discussion of priority projects, steps of preparation for full-scale participation of Ukraine in the intergovernmental Three Seas Initiative («3SI»). Representatives of the diplomatic corps of several countries, People’s Deputies of Ukraine, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, rectors of several institutions of higher education.
The Three Seas Initiative is an international platform for cooperation between 13 countries of Central and Eastern Europe. This initiative was proposed in 2015 by the President of Poland Andrzej Duda. The name «Three Seas» refers to the Baltic, Black and Adriatic seas, which wash the shores of the participating countries.
The goal of the initiative is to strengthen cooperation and integration within the region in such areas as energy, infrastructure, transport, digital economy, etc. The main idea is to develop projects and infrastructure connecting regional economies, improving their competitiveness and strengthening their position within the European Union.
As part of the initiative, regular summits and forums are held, where issues of cooperation and implementation of specific projects are discussed. Private investors and international financial organizations are also actively involved in financing infrastructure projects in the region. This initiative plays an important role in strengthening the integration and development of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as in increasing their influence within the European Union and on the world stage. Ukraine has the status of an associate member of the initiative.
Leading Ukrainian universities signed the Memorandum on the creation of the Scientific and Educational Platform «Three Seas Initiative – Ukraine». The memorandum on cooperation in scientific and educational activities “3SI” identifies four institutions of higher education of Ukraine as partners:
- Kyiv National University named after Taras Shevchenko (Rector Volodymyr Bugrov);
- National University «Lviv Polytechnic» (Rector Yuriy Bobalo);
- National University «Odesa Maritime Academy» (rector Mykhaнlo Miyusov);
- National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute” (Rector Yevhen Sokol).
The Public Platform «Three Seas Initiative – Ukraine» (President Andriy Smorodin) also acted as a party to the Memorandum.
Through the creation and development of the Scientific and Educational Platform «Three Seas Initiative – Ukraine», the Ukrainian scientific school will have the opportunity to integrate into the interstate «3SI».
It is assumed that cooperation in the implementation of the Memorandum will contribute to the intensification of research works, the startup movement, as well as the involvement of other institutions of higher education, research institutes, business structures, etc. In this way, additional prerequisites for the accelerated integration of Ukraine into the European Union will be created, and the strategic role of «3SI» in the world globalization processes will increase thanks to cooperation with Ukraine.
