The informal alliance of the Visegrad Four (V4) – comprising Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia – has made a serious bid to once again become a political force the European Union must reckon with.
As reported by the Hungarian state agency MTI, quoted by BTA, at a joint press conference after the summit near the Hungarian capital, the leaders demonstrated unity and a desire to put aside past differences from the “Orbán“ era.
“Together we will represent Central Europe in Brussels and everywhere”,” announced Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who hosted the event. The meeting was attended by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, his Czech counterpart Andrej Babis and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Main highlights of the summit:
Unity in Brussels: Leaders agreed to coordinate their positions more closely within the European institutions to ensure that the region's economic and strategic interests are not neglected. Direction towards expansion: Peter Magyar officially put on the table a proposal to expand the geographical and political scope of the group. Austria, Germany, Croatia and Slovenia were mentioned among the potential new members or partners. Improving neighborly relations: Budapest's new course aims to smooth out bilateral trade and political disputes in the region that have been frozen for many years. Slovakia and the Czech Republic have also confirmed that they are resuming their joint government meetings.
Can the V4 regain its influence?
Analysts point out that the departure of Viktor Orbán from power and the arrival of Peter Magyar opens a new page for the Visegrad Group. With the presence of politicians with great weight in the EU such as Donald Tusk, the bloc has a real chance to shake off its image as an “insulator“ and to embark on a constructive offensive to reform European policies.
However, any expansion of the format requires full consensus among the current four countries, as the inclusion of economic giants such as Germany or specific partners such as Austria would completely change the original character of the Visegrad Cooperation.