diff --git a/src/pat/select2/select2.js b/src/pat/select2/select2.js
index c7581723e..3518ff60c 100644
--- a/src/pat/select2/select2.js
+++ b/src/pat/select2/select2.js
@@ -217,15 +217,22 @@ export default Base.extend({
                     this.options.multiple === undefined ? true : this.options.multiple;
                 this.options.ajax = this.options.ajax || {};
                 this.options.ajax.url = this.options.vocabularyUrl;
-                // XXX removing the following function does'nt break tests. dead code?
                 this.options.initSelection = ($el, callback) => {
                     const data = [];
                     const value = $el.val();
                     for (const val of value.split(this.options.separator)) {
+                        if (val === "") {
+                            // Skip empty values, e.g. from an empty input.
+                            continue;
+                        }
                         const _val = utils.removeHTML(val);
                         data.push({ id: _val, text: _val });
                     }
-                    callback(data);
+                    // Select2 v3 expects a single object for single-select
+                    // widgets and an array for multi-select widgets. Passing an
+                    // array to a single select leaves `data.text` undefined and
+                    // the pre-set value is not rendered.
+                    callback(this.options.multiple ? data : data[0] || null);
                 };
             }
 
diff --git a/src/pat/select2/select2.test.js b/src/pat/select2/select2.test.js
index 7fd4cb70c..6301c5248 100644
--- a/src/pat/select2/select2.test.js
+++ b/src/pat/select2/select2.test.js
@@ -100,6 +100,50 @@ describe("Select2", function () {
         expect(select2.options.ajax.url).toEqual("select2-users-vocabulary");
     });
 
+    it("renders the preset value of a single-select input widget", async function () {
+        document.body.innerHTML = `
+            <input class="pat-select2"
+                   value="Europe/Vienna"
+                   data-pat-select2='{
+                       "multiple": false,
+                       "allowNewItems": "false",
+                       "vocabularyUrl": "select2-timezone-vocabulary"
+                   }'
+                   />
+        `;
+
+        registry.scan(document.body);
+        await utils.timeout(1);
+
+        const el = document.querySelector("input.pat-select2");
+        expect($(el).select2("data")).toEqual({
+            id: "Europe/Vienna",
+            text: "Europe/Vienna",
+        });
+        expect($(el).parent().find(".select2-chosen").text()).toEqual("Europe/Vienna");
+    });
+
+    it("renders the preset value of a single-select select widget", async function () {
+        document.body.innerHTML = `
+            <select class="pat-select2">
+                <option value="Europe/Paris">Europe/Paris</option>
+                <option value="Europe/Vienna" selected>Europe/Vienna</option>
+            </select>
+        `;
+
+        registry.scan(document.body);
+        await utils.timeout(1);
+
+        const el = document.querySelector("select.pat-select2");
+        // For a native <select>, select2 v3 attaches extra metadata to the
+        // data object (element, disabled, locked, ...), so match a subset.
+        expect($(el).select2("data")).toMatchObject({
+            id: "Europe/Vienna",
+            text: "Europe/Vienna",
+        });
+        expect($(el).parent().find(".select2-chosen").text()).toEqual("Europe/Vienna");
+    });
+
     it("displays the vocabulary when clicking an empty checkbox", async function () {
         document.body.innerHTML = `
           <input type="hidden"