Read Out of Secretary Perry’s Three Seas Energy Dialogue

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today Secretary of Energy Rick Perry hosted an energy dialogue with members of the Three Seas Initiative at the Department of Energy headquarters.

The Three Seas Initiative is a European-led effort launched in 2016 by 12 countries located between the Baltic Sea, Adriatic Sea and Black Sea and with the support of the European Union. The leaders of the 12 countries see this framework as a means to further regional goals of enhancing overall infrastructure development, particularly the creation of a north-south energy corridor.

Participants in today’s meeting included senior representatives from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Atlantic Council, and the European Union.

The dialogue began with welcoming  remarks, open to the press, by Secretary Perry, Vice President Maros Sefcovic from the European Union, and Deputy Prime Minister, H. E. Ana Birchall of Romania. Secretary Perry’s remarks emphasized U.S. support for the efforts of the Three Seas Initiative to advance closer integration of the countries in order to increase competitiveness, bolster economic resilience. The Secretary continued to promote the role of the U.S., specifically the role of American industry through technology and innovation, as well as how DOE can mobilize technical expertise to help allies and partners. These efforts are essential to creating an environment to attract investment needed to build robust and resilient economies.

The senior government officials from each country engaged in closed press discussions on a range of topics including the following:

• The importance of trans-Atlantic cooperation in enhancing regional infrastructure developments in the energy sector.
• Regional energy security, economic prosperity, and the role of innovation
• Perspectives on the energy security challenges in the region.

Secretary Perry also underscored how the Three Seas Initiative can serve as a critical platform for engagement between the U.S. and Europe. The Secretary stressed the Three Seas countries can utilize U.S. LNG to diversify their fuel supply and thus, strengthen economic and national security in each sovereign nation.

After Secretary Perry concluded the closing remarks the energy leaders gathered outside for a group photo.