The Visegrad Group. In the Path of Close Regional Cooperation

On February 25, 2014, INCIPE organized a Work Breakfast under the heading, The Visegrad Group: In the Path of Close Regional Cooperation. Priorities of the Hungarian Presidency, which focused on the perspectives of the Hungarian President of the Visegrad Group, composed of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland. The Honourable Edit Bucsi Szabó, the Ambassador to Hungary in Spain, was responsible for discussing the various challenges that The Visegrad Group will face as well as their priorities.

In February 1991, the Hungarian city of Visegrád served as the framework for the creation of this group of regional cooperation whose initial guidelines provided support consisting of mutual support in the road to Euro‐Atlantic integration, support of political transitions, and economic assistance for those countries. After achieving these initial objectives, which passed for full membership of both NATO and the EU, the Visegrad Group has redefined its objectives and come closer to form a bloc with common views within these institutions.

During the Work Breakfast, the discussion evolved into details about the three basic dimensions of collaboration for the Visegrad Group: sectoral cooperation, civil relations and foreign policy, and common security. Specifically, foreign policy is directed to support the rapprochement of the countries of the EU Eastern Partnership. In addition, it set a target for 2016 to create a joint tactical grouping.

The Work Breakfast closed with the topics of conversations proposed by various assistants. Some of the issues raised included the position of the Visegrad Group in respect to Ukraine or the European Parliament elections.

Aranzazu Álvarez
Manager of Institutional Relations