About: Visegrád Group Archives

Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov in a letter seen by EURACTIV that he is aware of the “fragile situation” of the country and that considerable support for the consolidation of the country’s border will be made available.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will focus on energy, transport infrastructure and migration, as he today (1 August) seeks to strengthen ties with Bulgaria and stabilise south eastern Europe after the failed coup attempt in Turkey.

Repatriating competences to the member states is not going to help citizens enjoy a better environment, Jeremy Wates tells EURACTIV Slovakia.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Friday (24 June) that British voters who opted to leave the EU were dissatisfied with Union policies dealing with the migration crisis.

The upcoming Slovak presidency of the Council of the EU has overcoming the fragmentation in Europe as one of its main objectives, Slovakia´s State Secretary for European Affairs Ivan Korčok told a small group of journalists today (12 May).

Tensions reached a boiling point between the European states worst affected by the refugee crisis ahead of a meeting of Balkan states in Vienna today (24 February), as new figures showed no let-up in the influx of asylum seekers.

The deal that was necessary to keep the United Kingdom in the EU has also opened the door for other members to use referendums — or more likely, the threat of referendums — as a negotiating tactic, writes Stratfor, the global intelligence company.

British Prime Minister David Cameron told EU leaders on Thursday evening (18 February) that the ‘emergency brake’ to stop EU migrants claiming in-work benefits - a major condition for his support for the UK staying in the bloc - should last for up to 13 years.

A draft accord to help keep Britain in the European Union is "very fragile", a top EU official warned yesterday (10 February) as France and eastern states pushed for changes before leaders meet to try and seal the deal next week.

Most of the Union’s members have reservations with regard to the possible limitations of in-work benefits for EU workers in the UK, contained in the proposals from Brussels to address David Cameron’s demands ahead of the Brexit referendum. The EURACTIV network reports.

While talks on a compromise to keep the UK in the EU continue, it has emerged that the Polish government will not support any solution reducing the privileges of Poles who already live and work in UK. EURACTIV Poland reports.

Meeting in Prague on Monday (21 September) the so-called Visegrad group – Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic – have once again rejected plans to redistribute asylum-seekers under a quota system proposed by the European Commission.

By re-appointing Maroš Šef?ovi? for a second term at the European Commission, the Slovak government has chosen to play it safe, placing its bet on an official who has been in charge of almost every EU policy dossier during the last mandate.

In the post-Communist Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, democracy has become the only game in town. But how well is it played, and who plays it best? Olga Gyarfasova provides an evaluation.

Petr Ne?as, the Czech Republic's new prime minister, has defended regular talks between his country, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland, saying closer cooperation between Central European states is a legitimate component of EU integration. He spoke to EURACTIV.cz in an exclusive interview.

With the new conservative government, a value-oriented change is happening in Hungary, writes András István Türke, director of the Europa Varietas Institute, in a May study. With the country about to adopt a national law on dual citizenship, Türke warns that special attention should be paid to how to communicate this change to the international community.

Eastern EU countries have either rejected or dismissed as irrelevant a planned EU target to reduce poverty, proposed by the European Commission under a ten-year economic plan called 'Europe 2020'. The EURACTIV network reports.

The enlarged EU is slower at making decisions and it remains to be seen whether the Lisbon Treaty will improve matters, Dr. Timothy Haughton, senior lecturer on Russian and East European Studies at the University of Birmingham, told EURACTIV Slovakia in an interview.

Smaller states among the EU newcomers need powerful allies among older members if they want to move forward, Dr. Timothy Haughton, senior lecturer on Russian and East European Studies in the University of Birmingham, told EURACTIV Slovakia in an interview.

The four presidents of the Visegrad countries have called the Schengen entry an "absolute priority", but they accept that a late euro zone accession is necessary.

The paper analyses the position of the so-called Visegrad group of countries (Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia) in the upcoming Intergovernmental Conference.

Hungary's Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy has announced that his government would organise a referendum on accession to the European Union on 15 March 2003.

The Prime Ministers of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, who met in Krynica (south Poland) on 5 September, have decided to hold referenda on EU membership between April and June 2003.

The European Alliance of EU-Critical Movements says referenda on EU membership should be held on the same day in all candidate countries.