Rasi to Leave for Summit of V4 House Chairs in Budapest

Bratislava, 25 February (TASR) - House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD), will pay a working visit to Budapest on Thursday (26 February) and Friday (27 February), Parliament Office's communication department has informed TASR. At the invitation of his Hungarian counterpart Laszlo Kover, Rasi will participate in the summit of the Visegrad Four (V4-Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland) house chairs and subsequently in the twelfth annual conference of the house chairs of the countries of South-Eastern Europe (SEE). The aim of his working trip is to strengthen parliamentary diplomacy in the Central European area and coordinate the V4 countries' joint action in strategic issues of economic stability and demography. "I am coming to Budapest with the clear goal of defending Slovakia's interests in issues that affect the whole of Europe. Our countries must stick together when it comes to strengthening of our competitiveness and seeking answers to demographic challenges. With a common voice, we want to contribute to seeking solutions for the future of our countries, the Central European region and Europe," said Rasi. During Thursday's summit, Rasi is scheduled to speak in two key blocks. As part of the discussion on the EU's competitiveness, he will focus on energy security issues and the importance of regional solidarity in securing strategic raw materials. In the second block, entitled 'Demographic Challenges in the V4 Countries', Rasi will point out the limits of current migration policies in Europe and stress the need to focus on national pro-family measures and social cohesion of the region. The second day of the conference will be opened by Kover, followed by a speech by Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban. The programme will continue with a joint panel discussion of house chairs of the V4 countries and the countries of south-eastern Europe. The summit of the V4 house chairs is taking place as part of the current Hungarian presidency of the Visegrad Group. Slovakia will take over the presidency as of 1 July 2026. In this context, Rasi spoke about Slovakia's efforts to strengthen mutual dialogue within the V4 and support projects aimed at regional stability. ko