News - Poland, Warsaw, Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria

The 5th Congress of Local Governments of the Three Seas Initiative (TSI) was held in Lublin, Poland, on March 12-13, 2019. The Forum was opened by the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda, under whose patronage the event is held annually. The Congress strengthens ties between regions along the North-South axis along the eastern border of the European Union.

The leading topic of the forum was the main investment projects in the field of transport, energy and digitalization, as well as the current challenges related to the impact of artificial intelligence on various spheres of social life: from security, through medicine, to science and education, countering disinformation, the dynamics of economic and trade relations, the latest trends in innovation and science.

During this year’s edition of the event, cooperation was expanded in other areas: mutual understanding of historical heritage through the establishment of interaction between museums from Central Europe and the signing of a declaration on the establishment of a Three Seas Tourism Network – the initiative was initiated by the Bulgarian side and supported by the Polish side.

Deputy Minister of Tourism Irena Georgieva participated in the panel “10 years of the Three Seas Initiative – analysis of development and future” of the format in the context of economic, infrastructure and geopolitical challenges, which declared a commitment to continue the work to establish the region as an attractive tourist destination. The role of Bulgaria in the development of the Initiative so far was emphasized, as well as the establishment of a Tourism Network as part of the Network of Regions within the Three Seas Initiative (3SI_TN). The aim of this network is to strengthen connectivity between regions by: improving transport infrastructure; use of new IT technologies, development of environmental projects and improvement of education and training in the tourism sector. A joint declaration was signed during the event, which marked the beginning of the new format of cooperation between the Three Seas regions in the field of tourism.

During the Gala Evening of the Three Seas Regions, the Marshal of the Voivodeship Jarosław Stawiarski presented the "International Success in the Three Seas Initiative" awards in the categories: international company, regional company and individual. This award is an expression of recognition for achievements in the field of economy, culture and international cooperation.

In the individual category, the award was received by the Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Republic of Poland - Margarita Ganeva - for her personal contribution and consistency in contributing to the dynamic development of cooperation within the Three Seas Initiative. The award is presented to a foreign citizen for the first time.