Trendsetting and Distance: Perception of the Three Seas Initiative in Selected Central European Countries

The Three Seas Initiative (3SI) is a presidential platform for regional cooperation, established in 2016 and currently being developed by representatives of 13 EU Member States: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. According to the founding declaration in Dubrovnik, the 3SI primarily serves to develop transport infrastructure, strengthen energy security, and advance digitalization in Central Europe. The aim of this article is to analyze the perception and public discourse on the Three Seas Initiative in selected participating countries. Examples of three countries with different approaches to activities within the 3SI are considered: a country actively engaged in the development of the Three Seas cooperation (Poland), a country with an ambivalent approach to the Three Seas cooperation (the Czech Republic), and a country that, despite participating in the 3SI, de facto distances itself from the initiative (Austria). The chronological scope of the research covered the years 2016–2025. The paper draws on statements by politicians, analytical materials, press sources, and academic articles. The study utilized a comparative method, qualitative content analysis, and document analysis.