Visegrád Group

The Visegrád Group, also known under the name V4, is a loose cooperation of the Central European countries of Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland.

Name

Their name comes from the Hungarian town of Visegrad at the Danube Bend. The Hungarian, Czech and Polish kings met there in 1335 to lead economic and political negotiations.

History

In Visegrad, the agreement was approved by the then founder states of Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia to cooperatively as possible to solve the most part common problems after the end of the Eastern Bloc and the Cold War on 15 February 1991. In this regard, it saw itself as a supplement to Pentagonale or to CEI, which was politically too fragmented by the membership also Western countries ( Austria and Italy). In addition to the common interests towards European integration and increasing collaboration in the fields of culture and economy was the Visegrad Group also technical cooperation and some national minority issues. A further meeting of the group took place in Visegrad on 6 October 1991. In November 1998, the States have agreed to resume cooperation in the form of regular semi-annual meetings at a meeting in Budapest.

Effective 14 May 1999, the International Visegrad Fund was established by the members in Bratislava. The fund is financed by all members and supports cultural networks and individual action. He also awards annual scholarships to students, doctoral candidates and scholars for academic exchange.

Visegrad Group today

After the accession of all four Member States to NATO and the EU is continuing the Group of States, but is facing a redefinition of its objectives.

Important core concern is the further economic integration into the EU and attracting foreign direct investment. A unified economic policies of the countries does not exist. Also in relation to the further political integration within the EU, there is no common approach. For example, Slovakia has adopted the euro, while the three other states are still hesitant. All four countries have traditionally strive for close relations between Europe and the United States.

Despite membership in NATO collective security remains one of the key concerns of the group. That, for historical reasons, and partly tense relationship with Russia, today, only one of the fields of activity dar. Meanwhile, back problems such as terrorism and the regulation of cross-border traffic into view. At their meeting on May 12, 2011 in Levoča the options for establishing a common EU Battle Group were discussed by the year 2016. The unit shall have approximately battalion strength and are under the military leadership of Poland. The preparation of combat troops by 2016, it was decided at a summit meeting of defense ministers in Warsaw on March 6, 2013.

The cooperation besides includes some shared diplomatic missions abroad.

Visegrad Plus

Czech President Milos Zeman, announced on April 3, 2014 at a press conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia, that will also qualify Slovenia and Austria will participate in the meetings of an extended Visegrad Group. On April 4, 2014, however, gave to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry through his spokesman Gábor Kaleta to understand that an extension of the Visegrad Group is not planned and thus rejected the offer Zeman Slovenia and Austria.