Former Polish president launches research foundation named after Central European 3Seas Initiative.
Foundation Registration
Former Polish President Andrzej Duda has established a foundation named “Central European 3Seas Institute – Andrzej Duda Foundation.” The organization was officially registered in the National Court Register on January 22, commencing its operations. The foundation will primarily focus on conducting scientific research and providing consulting services. As per its name, the former president serves as the organization’s president. The foundation’s headquarters is located at Kajetana Stefanowicza Street in Krakow.
At the same address, a limited partnership named “Andrzej Duda PAAD” was registered on December 19, with the former president’s wife, Agata Kornhauser-Duda, as a partner. Additionally, the legal advisory activities of the presidential couple’s daughter, Kinga Duda, were also based there.
Three Seas Initiative Background
The name of Duda’s foundation references the Three Seas Initiative (3SI). The initiative was launched in 2015 by Andrzej Duda and then Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović during a meeting of regional leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Initially, the initiative included 12 EU countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Hungary. In 2023, Greece also joined the platform.
The Three Seas Initiative also has two associated participating countries – Ukraine and Moldova – and strategic partners including the USA, Japan, the European Commission, and Germany.
Presidential Priority
During the GLOBSEC 2017 conference in Bratislava, Andrzej Duda announced that the Three Seas Initiative would be “one of the priorities of his presidency.” He emphasized that it is “an initiative that is more infrastructure and economic than political.”
“We want Three Seas to result in increased innovation in our economies and societies. Pursuing such ambitious goals requires continuous cooperation between the Three Seas countries. The initiative is aimed at many recipients – business communities, experts, local governments and state-owned enterprises. This openness to different environments is the DNA of the Three Seas Initiative,” the politician explained.
