Conference 2022
The Three Seas Initiative held its first annual summit in Dubrovnik, Croatia in 2016 and has since been an important vehicle for integrating the region through infrastructure projects, based on the 3 pillars of energy, transport and digitization.
The Three Seas Generation Freedom Conference targets young people born in the free societies of Central Eastern Europe following the collapse of the Iron Curtain and the downfall of communism. The event brings together bright young minds from the region, our future leaders, and has them meet with journalists, diplomats, scholars and politicians from the Three Seas region.
This year’s conference will be dedicated to the importance of winning and preserving freedom, with the full title of the conference being inspired by a quote from Pope John Paul II.
“Freedom is not given once and for all, it must be won time and time again with the help of truth.”
150 guests participated in last year’s conference, which was focused on how the Three Seas Initiative could look like by the year 2050.
AGENDA - September 29th, 2022/Thursday
The workshops are held for the winners of the Three Seas Generation Freedom Competition which was organized by the State of Poland Foundation. The competition was available to people from the Three Seas region below the age of 28. The workshops will be centered on the following topics:
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Misinformation and the dangers associated with it – hosted by Agata Wereszyńska
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Engaging, intense, interesting. The art of writing in a way that will attract attention – hosted by Danuta Nierada, Przemysław Bociąga
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Everything you need to know about social media – hosted by Marta Zarosa
AGENDA - September 30th, 2022/Friday
The conference is heavily focused on TEDx-style speeches delivered by charismatic profiles with great knowledge in their field of expertise. Each speech will be around 15-20 minutes long.
Moderator: Karolina Pajączkowska, Adam Starzynski
10:00 am –10:34 am – Welcoming session and keynote talks
HOSTS
Paweł Nierada, First Vice – President of the management board of Poland’s state development bank, BGK, and member of the supervisory board of the Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund.
Włodzimierz Dola, Chairman of the State of Poland Foundation.
KEYNOTE TALK
Paweł Jabłoński, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Polish Government’s Plenipotentiary for the Three Seas Initiative.
10:30 am – 1:15 pm – First block of TEDx lectures and discussion panel
TEDx LECTURES
Paweł Nierada, First Vice-President of the management board of Poland’s state development bank, BGK, and member of the supervisory board of the Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund.
TEDx topic: “Is real freedom possible without economic freedom? The Three Seas case – Poland.”
Yuri Felshtinsky, historian, prominent author and journalist, co-author (together with Alexander Litvinenko) of “Blowing Up Russia”. An expert on Russia and the former Soviet Union.
TEDx topic: “Russia’s War in Europe. How Will It Proceed. How Will It End.”
Stanisław Żaryn, Secretary of State, Government Plenipotentiary for the Security of Information Space of the Republic of Poland.
TEDx topic: „Russian disinformation as a method of Russia’s intelligence activities.”
Tim Marshall (online), journalist, New York Times bestseller and author of “Prisoners of Geography.”
TEDx topic: ”The Distance of Freedom.”
Julian Ropcke, a senior political editor, employed by Germany’s best-selling newspaper, leading online news platform and young TV channel BILD.
TEDx topic: „Freedom always has a price – but are we willing to pay it? Germany’s role in the Russian war in Ukraine observed.”
1:15 pm – 2:15 pm – Lunch Break at the Nobu Hotel Warsaw
2:15 pm – 6:00 pm – Second block of TEDX lectures and discussion panels
TEDX LECTURES
Edward Lucas (online), Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, former Senior Editor at the Economist, specialist in European and transatlantic security affairs.
TEDx topic: “Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Three Seas Challenge”
Professor Nikolai Ivanov, history professor and former editor and broadcaster for Radio Free Europe.
TEDx topic: “Russkij mir”
Velina Tchakarova, an Austrian geopolitical and security policy expert. Director of the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES).
TEDx topic: „The Geopolitics of TSI amid Bifurcation of the Global System.”
Marko Mihkelson, Estonian MP and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Estonian Parliament
TEDx topic: „My personal journey to understanding what freedom is: why we have a sharp sense of freedom in Estonia and how it helped us to become who we are.”
Anton Gerashchenko, Councillor of Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs. He has previously served as Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs himself and was an MP in the Ukrainian Parliament between 2014-2019.
TEDx topic: „Why Russia has already lost the war to Ukraine?”
DISCUSSION PANEL „Media’s role during national struggles for freedom”
Panelists
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Tadeusz Giczan – Journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of the Belarusian opposition media service Nexta. Non-resident fellow at CEPA.
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Jan Macháček, Czech columnist for Lidové noviny and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Politics and Society in the Czechia. Dissident before 1989 and a signatory of Charta 77.
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Iuliia Mendel, Ukrainian journalist and political advisor who served as President Zelensky’s press secretary between 2019 and 2021.
DISCUSSION PANEL „The case of energy security in Poland”
Panelists
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Marcin Chruściel – president The Institute of New Europe
Wojciech Jakóbik – Editor in Chief. Biznesalert.pl
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Wojciech Jasiński – Academy of European Careers – Energy and Climate Expert
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Petros Tovmasyan – Key Expert New Europe Foundation
6:00 pm – End of conference
Experts
Paweł
Nierada
TEDx topic; "Is real freedom possible without economic freedom? The Three Seas case - Poland."
Graduated from the Warsaw University of Economics (Finance and Banking) and holds an MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. He has participated in numerous professional courses on venture capital, corporate finance, M&A and capital markets.
Dr. Yuri
Felshtinsky
TEDx topic: "Russia’s War in Europe. How Will It Proceed. How Will It End."
Julian
Röpcke
TEDx topic: "Freedom always has a price - but are we willing to pay it? Germany's role in the Russian war in Ukraine observed."
Edward
Lucas
Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, former Senior Editor at the Economist, specialist in European and transatlantic security affairs.
Marko
Mihkelson
Mr Mihkelson is a long-time Estonian MP and former director of the Baltic Centre of Russian Studies.
Stanisław
Żaryn
TEDx topic: "Russian disinformation as a method of Russia’s intelligence activities."
Tim
Marshall
TEDx topic: "The Distance of Freedom" "Western Europe enjoys a geographical and historical distance from the upheavals of Eastern Europe. As such it was easier for its leaders to ignore the rising dangers of a revanchist Russia. Even now the limitations of the EU ideal of 'ever closer union' have been exposed. The arguement must be made and won that unless all of Europe is free and whole, Europe is not free."
Velina
Tchakarova
TEDx topic: "The Geopolitics of TSI amid Bifurcation of the Global System."
