Hydrogen organizations from Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary and Ukraine have become members of the 3 Seas Hydrogen Council, Europe’s first platform bringing together countries from our region. The agreement was signed during the second edition of the H2Poland conference in Poznań. One of the Council’s main tasks will be to represent the sector before the European Commission and the European Parliament.
“It's a historic moment. This initiative is a great start to building international business partnerships. Our countries have tremendous potential here,” emphasized the Deputy Minister for Climate, the Government’s Representative for Renewable Energy Ireneusz Zyska, who was present at the inception of the council.
“3 Seas will support our countries and local authorities on the green transformation path. Together, we wish to seek synergies and cooperation opportunities for the development of non-carbon economy, in which hydrogen will play an important role. We see an urgent need to start an effective dialogue and develop a common position of our countries vis-à-vis the Commission, the Council and the European Parliament, as well as vis-à-vis other organizations and decision-making centers at the regional, European and global level,” says Tomoho Umeda, Vice President of the Hydrogen Poland Association, which put forward this initiative.
The signatories of the agreement concur that our region is connected not only by a common, turbulent history, but also by a similar energy and heating structure as well as similar climatic conditions, including large seasonal differences in the demand for energy and heat. We also share the role of the region as a production base for the economies of the West and the whole world.
All this makes the 3 Seas member countries see the urgent need to initiate processes of permanent dialogue and establishment of common positions, especially on the EU forum.
“International cooperation on hydrogen is essential not only to reach Europe's climate goals, but also to secure a sustainable future for our planet. The Czech Hydrogen Technology Platform fully subscribes to the the mission of 3 Seas to promote the production and transport of hydrogen as well as the use of hydrogen to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and combat climate change. This will also contribute to investments in infrastructure and the creation of new jobs,” says Vaclav Bystriansky, member of the board of Hytep, the Czech Hydrogen Technology Platform.
“Located in the heart of the Three Seas Region, Slovakia has proudly joined the 3 Seas Hydrogen Council initiative and fully supports the Central European cooperation. Our goal is to help promote regional interests, shape European law taking into account the nature of individual regions, and support initiatives to finance the emerging hydrogen ecosystem. Slovakia will actively participate in the transfer of information, experience and technology. We want to take part in hydrogen projects, contribute to the construction of pipelines and refueling stations, connect countries and initiatives,” emphasizes Ján Weiterschütz, President of the Slovak National Hydrogen Association.
The signatories hope that Ukraine will soon accede to the European Community, which will further strengthen the region. “We’re glad that Ukrainian organizations are joining our initiative. We believe that the reconstruction of Ukraine will be a huge transformation process, and we want to support these processes by jointly building knowledge and experience,” the preamble reads.
Oleksandr Repkin, member of the board of the Ukrainian Hydrogen Council, points out that the strategic partnership with the EU states is an opportunity for Ukraine to build a sustainable and innovative energy system. “The new geopolitical and energy market environment requires us to drastically accelerate the transformation towards clean energy and increase energy independence from uncertain suppliers and unstable fossil fuels. Ukraine can play a major role in this initiative. Referring to the REPowerEU plan, it is crucial that Ukraine prioritizes the development of its hydrogen industry to achieve energy independence and contribute to a greener future for Europe,” Repkin says.
Hungarians also have their share in the agreement. “Individual companies that are active in the hydrogen industry today will cooperate in the global hydrogen industry market, benefiting from a greater share in its profits. For the time being, all of those companies are subcontractors of Western corporations, and on the back of the new cooperation, they can become a significant player that acts on its own terms,” points out István Lepsény, Chairman of the Hungarian Hydrogen Technology Association.
Sven Parkel, managing director of the Estonian Hydrogen Cluster, adds: - 3 Seas Hydrogen Council will help share best practices to develop projects and innovative value chains, support work in hydrogen valleys, and thereby establish a cross-border hydrogen economy that will develop into a pan-European hydrogen economy. Our experience will help develop legal frameworks, technologies, financing and gain public acceptance to lower barriers to the hydrogen economy.
The Hydrogen Technology Cluster, represented by Damian Mucha, has also become a member of the agreement from the Polish side.
Thanks to an initiative like 3 Seas, we will be able to understand even better the opportunities and threats on the road to a green transformation. The most important thing is that we jointly use the potential of the region within the framework of the signed initiative," he points out. “We wish to create and propose business-friendly regulations at the level of the European Union and individual Member States, to ensure a fair distribution of aid funds, but above all to promote local and cross-border business projects. Our initiative was welcomed not only by hydrogen associations of the CEE region that were signatories of the agreement, but also by the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Hydrogen Europe Association,” sums up the President of Hydrogen Poland Paweł Piotrowicz.
Hydrogen organizations that are members of the 3 Seas Hydrogen Council:
