How to Make 3SI a Force of Good

On 7 July 2021, in the run-up to the 3 Seas Initiative Summit and Business Forum in Sofia on 8-9 July 2021, Visegrad Insight, the main Central European analysis and media platform, released a report outlining the need for a 3SI Civil Society Forum that would strengthen democratic security in the region. Read the report here.

On 12 July, 3:00 PM CET Visegrad Insight will host an online panel with the authors of the report, Wojciech Przybylski and Kamil Jarończyk, to discuss the recommendations, scenarios and democratic trends featured in Towards 3SI Civil Society Forum. The meeting is expected to last 90 minutes. Register now

Authors of the report explain four possible scenarios until 2025 and put forward nine recommendations driven by concerns over the democratic security in 3SI countries. This foresight has been developed together with over 60 experts from all 3SI countries in order to reassure the success and sustainability of the 3SI in a dynamic Central European environment. 

Authors of the report argue that the 3SI needs to focus on democratic security and develop civil society engagement in parallel with the current political and business platform.

Projected to be the fastest-growing part of the EU’s economy, the 3SI is expected to help bridge Eastern Europe’s infrastructure gap through priority projects in transportation, energy, and digital connectivity. The private fund responsible for investment has been growing at a steady pace with national contributions from 3SI member states reaching 1 billion euros in 2021. A further 1 billion US dollars has been pledged by the US, adding to the already most ambitious EU 7-year perspective budget ever. 

At the same time, Central Europe remains a source of concern among its democratic partners due to its vulnerability in the face of external authoritarian influence. To fully make use of these funds the 3SI countries must safeguard transparency of investment, the integrity of electoral institutions, media freedom and civil society participation in governance. Against this background, our findings suggest that the creation of a Civil Society Forum would not only address these obstacles undermining the ambitious cooperation format, but also act as a bulwark against corruption and reassert the societies’ control over their future.  

The current foresight report, developed with the support of the National Endowment for Democracy, is a culmination of a 12-month long project that aims to foster regional dialogue and promote core democratic values in Central Europe. Findings are based on our in-house research, several years of analysis in the field and dozens of interactive workshops concluded in 2020 and 2021, which involved a unique group of 60 regional experts from all 3SI countries. A draft report has also been consulted with key stakeholder groups at an international research conference held in June 2021 involving policymakers, diplomats and civil society influencers.