site.btaDubrovnik Welcomes Participants in Three Seas Initiative Summit

Dubrovnik is welcoming participants in the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) Summit on Tuesday. A Bulgarian delegation is also taking part in the meeting, headed by Bulgaria’s Ambassador to Croatia Iva Kruleva. The delegation includes representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises and Bulgarian companies.

Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic told the Croatian national broadcaster HRT that the city is ready for the summit. Special traffic regulations have been introduced in the city during the event. The tourist season in Dubrovnik has already begun, and Dubrovnik Airport will welcome not only numerous tourists but also many aircraft carrying guests attending the summit. Police will assist traffic management during the arrival of delegations and have urged residents to remain patient in the event of congestion. The arrival of a large number of high-ranking officials is also expected to attract leading international media outlets covering the summit.

The 3SI is a platform for political and economic cooperation among 13 EU Member States located between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black seas: Bulgaria, Austria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Strategic partners of the initiative are Germany, the European Commission, the United States (US), Japan, Spain and Turkiye. Ukraine, Moldova, Albania and Montenegro are associate members.

The platform aims to improve regional connectivity through investments in energy, transport and digital infrastructure. The initiative was launched in 2016 by Croatia and Poland. The 2026 edition, hosted by Croatia, focuses on strengthening regional resilience, digital transformation and linking 3SI countries with global economic corridors such as India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor and the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor.

Speaking to the Croatian News Agency HINA, Croatia’s national coordinator for the 3SI, Romana Vlahutin, said that while East-West connections had been developed, North-South connectivity had been neglected. “This year Croatia assumed a leading role in the initiative by bringing together European leaders and global business leaders to combine capital and efforts for the implementation of connectivity projects. Companies from 45 countries are arriving, so this will not be only a regional or European initiative. Croatia has the highest number of participants, followed by Poland, the US and Japan with 70 participants,” she said.

Among the political guests attending the summit are the heads of state and government of Austria, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Montenegro, Czechia and Ukraine. Estonian Parliament President Lauri Hussar and Slovenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Tanja Fajon are also expected to attend.