Excellencies, presidents, chancellor, presidents of the parliament, ambassadors, high dignitaries. Let me warmly welcome you to Dubrovnik. It is a great pleasure for me to host and open the summit of the Three Seas Initiative. May I also express our common welcome to the two founders of this initiative who are just behind me: Madame Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, former president of Croatia, and Andrzej Duda, former president of Poland, who have agreed to join us.
Ten years ago, we signed the Dubrovnik Declaration, gathered around a shared conviction that the heart of Europe deserved better connections, better roads, better energy routes, better digital links, and that we could build them together. That conviction gave birth to the Three Seas Initiative. Today we return to where it all began, and we do so not to celebrate the past but to rise to the demands of the present and to shape the future. The world of 2026 is not the world of 2016.
The geopolitical landscape has shifted fundamentally. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has reshaped Europe's security environment and reminded us that peace, stability, and territorial integrity cannot be taken for granted. Energy security has moved from a technical question to a strategic imperative. Russia's weaponization of energy has shown the cost of dependency and the need to diversify routes and suppliers. Resilience is no longer a mere concept; it is a survival requirement. And connectivity, once seen purely as an engine of growth, is now a pillar of our collective security. In this context, the Three Seas Initiative directly strengthens the resilience, cohesion, and unity of the European Union while reinforcing its common policies and strategic autonomy.
It is also a matter of deterrence and military mobility, shaping our ability to act and respond in times of crisis. As we enter its second decade, our common task is clear: to power Europe's strategic north-south axis and translate our cooperation into lasting strength. In this environment, the Three Seas Initiative is not merely relevant; it is essential.
Our region, 13 EU member states stretching from the Baltic to the Adriatic and the Black Sea, has grown at nearly 3% annually over the past five years, more than double the EU average. Our combined GDP stands at 3.5 trillion euros, and with our associated partners, we represent a market of nearly 160 million people. At the same time, the infrastructure investment needs in transport, energy, and digital connectivity are estimated at 650 billion euros. That gap between potential and reality is precisely why we are here.
Croatia has been honored to hold the presidency of this initiative over the past year, and we focused our efforts on four priorities: building a strong, resilient, and competitive Three Seas region as the backbone of European resilience; globalizing the initiative by linking it with other strategic connectivity frameworks; strengthening cooperation with transatlantic and other like-minded partners in energy security and advanced technologies in a balanced and mutually beneficial manner; and, perhaps the most significant, proposing that financing become the fourth pillar of the initiative alongside transport, energy, and digital infrastructure.
In that context, we have advanced the development of new financial instruments, including the Three Seas Initiative Infrastructure Fund of Funds in cooperation with the European Investment Bank Group as a means to mobilize investment at scale. We have also revitalized the parliamentary dimension of the initiative, notably through the parliamentary summit held in Zagreb in March, strengthening political continuity and democratic ownership of our common projects. These priorities have translated into flagship projects: the Three Seas Initiative north-south high-speed rail network, the Three Seas Initiative LNG infrastructure extended towards a hydrogen-ready future, Three Seas Initiative Battery Alliance, and Three Seas Initiative Intelligent Resilience Network corridor for digital connectivity. These are not aspirations; they are projects with backing, momentum, and the potential to change the economic geography of our continent.
But our ambition does not stop at Europe's borders. Through our engagement with the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and the Middle Corridor across Central Asia, we are connecting our infrastructure to some of the most dynamic trade routes in the world. In a context of growing disruptions to global energy markets and trade routes, including in the Middle East, these connections are becoming strategically indispensable.
The ports of our Adriatic coast, the north-south rail corridors linking our region, and the energy interconnections we are building all gain value as part of a wider Eurasian corridor stretching from Mumbai through the Adriatic and Black Sea to the Baltic. These networks support growth in normal times and ensure resilience and operational capacity in times of crisis. We are not a peripheral corner of Europe; we are its natural gateway to Asia.
Global ambition requires global partners, and this initiative has never had stronger ones. We value the continued engagement of the United States, as well as the presence of Secretary Wright at this summit, as part of a broader transatlantic relationship that remains essential while also evolving in a more complex and demanding strategic environment across the Atlantic. The Three Seas Initiative continues to enjoy bipartisan support in the United States Congress, reflecting a broad recognition of the economic and strategic importance of our region. A Europe that is stronger, more resilient, and better connected is a more credible and capable partner.
I would also like to highlight Japan, a strategic partner whose engagement with this initiative reflects a clear commitment to our region. Japan brings capital, expertise, and strategic depth and is committed to being part of it. These partnerships, along with many others, are not about dependence; they are about diversification, resilience, and shared strategic interests.
Croatia's contribution to this vision is grounded in geography and confirmed by investment. Our country is a Mediterranean gateway to Central Europe. The ports of Rijeka, Zadar, Split, and Ploče form a logistics network across our European TEN-T corridors, connecting our region to global markets. Our LNG terminal on the island of Krk, operational for five years and now expanded, supplies much of Central and Eastern and Southeastern Europe and is being further developed to support the transition to hydrogen. It has enabled us to fully wean off Russian gas and position Croatia as an energy hub with capacity two and a half times our national needs.
Just today, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina signed an agreement on the construction of the southern gas interconnection, which will enable the supply of gas to Bosnia and Herzegovina via the LNG terminal on Krk in partnership with the United States. This diversification strengthens security of supply and reinforces the country's political independence. We did not wait for the future to arrive; we helped build it.
Ladies and gentlemen, today's summit in Dubrovnik is a milestone, but it must also be a turning point. We must move from dialogue to delivery, from declarations to decisions, from ambition to action. That means securing private investment, strengthening coordination among our governments, and ensuring that the parliamentary dimension of this initiative continues to translate shared goals into law and budget. Above all, it means delivering concrete results that strengthen Europe's resilience, competitiveness, and security in an increasingly uncertain world. Because a Europe that is better connected internally is also stronger and harder to divide.
When we look at its global impact, it also means justifying the trust of our partners from across the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific, whose presence here today reflects the growing strategic importance of our region. This initiative began as a regional infrastructure project. It began as a project of convergence and has grown into a framework for European resilience, economic dynamism, and our strategic partnership. In a time of growing geopolitical fragmentation, it stands as a pillar of European cohesion, resilience, and our strategic direction.
Dubrovnik gave its name. Let Dubrovnik now define its next decade. And let it remain a place where Europe's north and south, its interests, and its ambitions are brought together with clarity and purpose. Croatia remains a committed, reliable, and active partner in everything that follows. Thank you all for being in Dubrovnik today.
