In addition to the migration crisis and the war in Ukraine, the V4 has been criticised within the EU on issues of the rule of law and the level of democracy.
The Visegrad Four have not been experiencing a very positive period in recent years. Ever since the migrant crisis and the V4 governments’ common position of opposition to the so-called quotas on the compulsory redistribution of migrants, this political format has been constantly criticised. Depending on which governments are more pro-European and which more national, the Visegrad Four are often referred to in Brussels as V2+2 or even V3+1. However, in the long term, it is hard to expect the four neighbouring countries to follow the same political line within this 30-plus-year-old grouping, which has no formalised structures apart from the International Visegrad Fund, and meets on an ad hoc basis on topics of common interest.
The Council of Slovak Exporters welcomes the Government’s intention to strengthen economic diplomacy
In addition to the migration crisis and the war in Ukraine, the V4 has been criticised within the EU on issues of the rule of law and the level of democracy. However, it is not the V4 that is dividing itself, but rather the view of external partners on the Central European region and these four neighbouring states. Perhaps this is why alternative regional groupings such as the Slavic S3 format or the Central European C5 format have come to the fore in recent years. However, the V4 has an unquestionable three decades of successful cooperation behind it, a key period in the process of political reform, the transformation of national economies and European integration. It is thanks to these processes that a lot of foreign investment has come to the region. The economies of the four countries, including Slovakia, have experienced a period of considerable economic growth. After reaching the common political milestone of integration into the Union in 2004, the V4 countries are trying, in addition to coordinated action in Brussels, to implement in particular the practical aspects of cross-border cooperation in the fields of education, science and research, infrastructure and even joint procurement projects. And these are precisely the topics that the V4 should be focusing on, as the region has a higher year-on-year trade volume with Germany than the two largest EU economies, Germany and France. The areas of economic cooperation, competitiveness, energy and exports are also the focus of the Visegrad 4 Business conference, the second edition of which took place on 28 November in Prague with the participation of 250 entrepreneurs, diplomats and government officials from the economic departments of the V4 countries. The day-long conference presented an opportunity to discuss the most topical economic issues within the V4 or the global economic challenges facing the region. Against the backdrop of the economic, energy and security crises, practical economic issues and economic cooperation should be a unifying element and driver within the V4, thus giving the grouping strength and relevance also in the international environment.
The author is Chairman of the Council of Slovak Exporters
Source: Hospodárske noviny
