The two-day Three Seas Initiative Summit opened Tuesday in Dubrovnik, Croatia, bringing together political leaders from 13 EU member states and representatives of the global business community.
The initiative aims to strengthen regional cooperation and connectivity between countries located between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Seas, focusing on energy, transport and digital infrastructure.
Croatia is hosting the summit alongside the Three Seas Business Forum, which gathers more than 1,200 policymakers, business leaders, investors and financial institutions.
The forum focuses on transport, energy, digital industry, dual-use technologies and finance, reflecting interest in a market of around 120 million people with a combined GDP of approximately $3.5 trillion in 2025.
According to Croatia's Foreign and European Affairs Ministry, the initiative brings together 13 EU member states including Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
It also includes Albania, Moldova, Montenegro and Ukraine as associated participants, while strategic partners include the European Commission, Germany, Japan, Spain, Türkiye and the US.
Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlic Radman said the Adriatic Sea represents a stable and secure maritime space within NATO.
"The Adriatic is the only NATO sea," he said, adding Croatia is positioning itself as a logistics and energy hub through infrastructure such as the Port of Rijeka and the LNG terminal on Krk island.
He added that infrastructure investment needs in the region are estimated at €700 billion ($798 billion), and Croatia has proposed financing as a fourth pillar of the initiative.
European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica said the European Commission prioritizes competitiveness, security and energy, calling the initiative "extremely important" for the wider Mediterranean region.
She added the Commission is a strategic partner of the platform and highlighted investment mechanisms.
"We have provided a €600 million ($684 million) guarantee under the European Fund for Sustainable Development," she said, adding that public investment can be multiplied through private capital.
She stressed the need for energy infrastructure development, including grids and interconnectors, saying renewable energy can be produced at significantly lower cost in the region.
Romanian Foreign Ministry official Clara-Alexandra Volintiru said Romania is central to regional connectivity through transport corridors linking Ukraine and Moldova.
She highlighted infrastructure projects such as port modernization, highways and energy interconnectors, saying connectivity now represents economic diplomacy, strategic security and resilience.
Volintiru said progress has been significant in recent years, including rising transit flows along the Middle Corridor and expanding cross-border cooperation across the region.
