The Three Seas Initiative. Roles – functions – controversies from the perspective of the theory of Europeanization

Abstract

Six years after the inception of the Three Seas Initiative, an attempt can be made to define its roles and functions, as well as the significance that this process has for European integration, in particular for the European Union. The aim of the article is to present the cooperation of 3SI from the perspective of the integrity of the European Union’s policy and to determine what benefits count the countries creating this format in the context of EU policy. The hypothesis that the Three Seas Initiative does not add value to European integration and is a forum for realizing the national interests of individual countries, not the entire group, will be examined. In order to resolve the hypothesis, the following research questions were asked: P1: What were the reasons for establishing the 3SI? Q2: Which country or countries is / are the group leader/s?; Q3: Which third countries are involved in supporting 3SI cooperation and what are their motivations? Q4: What are the declared and actual roles and functions performed by the 3SI in the EU system?

The analysis will be conducted from the perspective of the theory of Europeanization. Qualitative methods were used in the study, including institutional-legal, systemic and comparative methods.