V4 at 30

As the Visegrád Group celebrates the anniversary of its establishment in 1991, a pro-government commentator contends that the importance of the V4 alliance has been boosted by the EU’s failures to resolve emergencies.

In Magyar Nemzet, László Szőcs thinks that since its establishment 30 years ago, the Visegrád Group has become an example of efficient regional cooperation within the European Union. Interestingly, the pro-government commentator suggests, the importance of V4 cooperation has been boosted by the EU’s slow reaction to challenges. As examples, Szőcs mentions what he regards as the EU’s pro-immigration stance during the migration crisis and, more recently, the slow pace of coronavirus vaccine rollout in the EU. Such instances remind the V4 countries of ‘their common Central Eastern European mentality grounded in their common history’ as well as of their common interests, which are distinct from the aims of Western Europe, Szűcs claims.

Tags: Central Europe, EU, Visegrád 4