V4 Leaders Agree to Boost Coordination ahead of European Council Meetings

Bratislava, 10 September (TASR) - The prime ministers of the Visegrad Four (V4: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) countries agreed during their meeting at Bratislava Castle on Thursday - which was held in a format bringing together the V4 premiers and the Irish prime minister - to intensify joint talks so that the V4 can present common positions ahead of European Council meetings. On preparations for the EU budget for the coming years, the V4 countries said that they are united not only by the common agricultural policy and efforts to reduce regional disparities, but also by the issue of high defence costs for countries on the EU's eastern flank. According to Donald Tusk, the leaders are currently seeking to restore the strength and prestige of the V4. "When we were united, we achieved our goals and strengthened the EU as a whole. We will act even more intensively in the interests of our countries and Europe," the Polish prime minister declared. He added that the future of the EU depends on the fortunes of the V4 countries. In Tusk's view, the EU's next budget must take into account the high costs incurred by countries on the EU's eastern flank, which have to secure its borders. He noted that since he took office as prime minister, the number of illegal migrant crossings on Poland's eastern border has fallen from 20,000 to zero. Poland spent a great deal of money and effort on this, he said. The Polish prime minister also pointed out that V4 countries pay the highest energy prices not only in the EU but in the world. Prices must fall, he said, adding that Poland would therefore block proposals that would result in higher energy prices. Tusk also reminded his counterparts that he views the tenure of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban differently. "I am genuinely happy that Peter Magyar is Poland's partner and that, thanks to this, Polish-Hungarian friendship has returned to the right track," he said. Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar described the V4 format as important regional cooperation. He underlined that a strong Europe cannot exist without a strong Central Europe, which must be underpinned by a strong V4. "I am very pleased and welcome the Slovak prime minister's proposals that we should meet and hold talks more intensively, because there are many important issues ahead of us," he said. Europe, according to Magyar, must decide whether it wants merely to survive or to win, which requires a completely different attitude and strategy. "The V4 is good because we do not talk about what divides us, but focus on what unites us within the Union and what we can represent together. I am quite certain that a Visegrad Four that has been strengthened again will be very successful, and Europe will benefit from it too," he said, adding that Hungary can accept only an EU budget agreement in which "the interests of Hungarian businesses and people can be fully upheld". Magyar also backed stronger cooperation among the V4 countries, stressing the importance of strict border protection against illegal migration and a pragmatic solution to the energy crisis. Referring to the August crisis caused by critically low water levels in the Danube, which created cooling problems at the Paks nuclear power plant, the Hungarian prime minister said that while the EU had been dealing with bureaucratic complaints about the construction of an underwater sill in the Danube riverbed, Slovakia had provided practical assistance with stabilising the river flow. Central Europe remains safe thanks to strict border protection, according to Magyar. The prime minister also criticised the European Commission, saying that while other countries receive subsidies worth hundreds of thousands of euros for migration, Hungary faces an unfair financial penalty of €1 million a day for actually protecting the EU's external borders. According to Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, the EU budget must be fair and balanced, while also taking into account the differing economic levels of member states and avoiding harm to countries with strong industrial bases, such as the V4 countries. He wants the budget to retain its traditional foundations and rejects any reduction in funding for member states. Babis also criticised the EU ETS 1 emissions trading system, saying that it was destroying Czech industry. "This region should stop paying for ETS1 emission allowances. And what awaits us is even worse: ETS2. It will affect refineries, fuel distributors and the population. ETS1 is destroying industry and ETS2 will destroy the lives of European people," he warned. The Czech prime minister therefore called for ETS2 to be postponed. mf