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On 26-27 October, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania together with the Public Investment Development Agency (VIPA) organised a visit to the Klaipėda State Seaport and Klaipėda Free Economic Zone of a delegation led by Joe Philipsz, Head of the Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund at the Amber Infrastructure Group.

The meetings with the Director General of Klaipėda State Seaport Authority Algis Latakas and the Director General of Klaipėda Free Economic Zone Eimantas Kiudulas focused on the activities of the Three Seas Investment Fund, funding opportunities for Lithuania's digital, transport and energy infrastructure projects, as well as project selection and evaluation criteria. The delegation was also acquainted with development plans of Klaipėda State Seaport and Free Economic Zone.

In the meeting with the management of Klaipėda State Seaport Authority, the Ambassador-at-large for Connectivity and the Three Seas Initiative Gediminas Varvuolis presented the objectives of the Three Seas Initiative, the European Union’s Global Gateway and other global, likeminded connectivity initiatives. According to Varvuolis, the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine highlighted the importance of the north-south infrastructure connectivity, as well as the need to accelerate infrastructure development of the Three Seas countries in the fields of digital, transport and energy, and to attract transparent investments in these areas.

“Hopefully, the consultations of the Investment Advisor to the Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund and the Public Investment Development Agency will help to identify potential projects of Lithuanian infrastructure companies for possible funding by the Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund in order to maximize the benefits for Lithuania and the Three Seas Initiative region,” said Varvuolis.

Set up in 2016, the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) is a politically inspired platform at the Head of State level that aims to stimulate economic development and level regional disparities within the EU by improving connectivity among twelve EU member states, running along a north–south axis: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria. The initiative was born out of a shared interest in developing transport, energy and digital infrastructure connections, strengthening EU cohesion and enriching transatlantic links. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinates the 3SI cooperation in Lithuania. The United States, Germany, the European Commission and Ukraine are partners of the 3SI.

The Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund was established in 2019. It invests in energy, transport and digital infrastructure in the Three Seas countries, where the demand for long-term commercial investment into national infrastructure is among the highest in the EU. Three Seas Initiative was born out of a shar

The Three Seas Initiative was born out of a shared interest in developing transport, energy and digital infrastructure connections

ed interest in developing transport, energy and digital infrastructure connection