Estonian president: Three Seas Initiative good example of trusted connectivity

TALLINN - Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid said at the Tallinn Digital Summit on Tuesday that the Three Seas Initiative is a good example of how to implement trusted connectivity.

Kaljulaid said that one of the key issues at present is who controls the infrastructure that serves as basis for our economies and functioning of our everyday lives; thus, we need to consider how to create cross-border infrastructure based on the principles of trusted connectivity. 

"The Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund is an excellent example of cooperation between the public and the private sector in carrying out infrastructure projects, or creating trusted connectivity," the head of state added. 

Trusted connectivity, which is the focus of the Tallinn Digital Summit this year, is a broader framework for how states should approach developing infrastructure that is critical from the perspectives of the economy and security.

The Estonian president said that the three seas region with its 110 million people has been leading the entire European Union's economic growth for years and the economies in the region grow on average 1.2 percent faster annually than the rest of the EU. 

"An important prerequisite for seeing this trend continue is smart investments in infrastructure, which will enable realize new business models and boost export. It also provides an opportunity to develop new smart infrastructure in order to faster achieve climate neutrality," she said.

"The three seas region has great economic potential and the Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund enables to find the necessary investments to develop even faster. The focus of the fund is on creating infrastructure in the fields of energy and transport and the digital sphere. We have the advantage of there being less restricting infrastructure in the three seas region -- there are fewer systems here hindering the establishment of new ones. We have the opportunity to create the best possible modern solutions," Kaljulaid said.

The president added that the Three Seas Initiative also creates new opportunities for cooperation with the Eastern Partnership states with which Estonia has shared history.

The Tallinn Digital Summit 2021 highlights links between infrastructure projects, geopolitics and digital technologies. Topics discussed at the summit include how to create and implement trust and free data exchange to render major cross-border infrastructure investments transparent and attractive to the private sector for the purpose of fostering economic growth, convergence between countries and regional security.