THE THREE SEAS INITIATIVE – AN ASPECT OF CONTEMPORARY GEOPOLITICAL COMPETITION FOR DOMINANCE IN EUROPE

Abstract

Today, Europe is a very dynamic area in which various processes of political, economic, military, and socio-cultural nature occur. One of these processes concerns the establishment in 2015 of the Three Seas Initiative, integrating the area of the countries that joined the European Community after 2004 with one exception, which is Austria, which belongs to the group of the so-called ‘Old Union’. The emergence of a new structure within the European Union has been negated from the very beginning by the most important entities in Europe and beyond because the Russian Federation also did not approve the establishment of the Three Seas Initiative, perceiving it as a direct threat to the implementation of its neo-imperial policy in Central and Eastern Europe. Nevertheless, the establishment of the Three Seas initiative was dictated by many factors of historical, political, economic, and military nature. This article presents the issues related to the process of shaping the subjectivity of Central and Eastern European countries in the context of contemporary challenges caused by the economic crisis and the potential danger of the Russian Federation, which aims is to destabilize this region and pull it back into its sphere of influence. The role which played the Three Seas Initiative within the European Union is an issue that requires constructive analysis. This is possible by indicating the main reasons for establishing this structure and international processes that are implications of its functioning.