Press Statement—V4 Prime Ministers' Summit

The summit of the Prime Ministers of the Visegrad Group countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) was held on 18th June 2007 in Bratislava, Slovakia. The summit was hosted by Mr. Robert Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakia—country currently presiding over the Visegrad Group and attended by Mr. Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Mr. Ferenc Gyurcsány, Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary and Mr. Jarosław Kaczyński, Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland.

The V4 Prime Ministers evaluated the one year Slovakia's V4 Presidency, which will be concluded on 30th June 2007. They agreed that the main priorities of Slovakia's V4 Presidency—to make V4 a dynamic regional forum within the EU; to continue strengthening the coordination and consultation aspects of V4 cooperation, with the aim of establishing common positions and standpoints concerning issues of mutual interest; to help improve the general level of public awareness concerning the V4—were to a large extent successfully fulfilled. The reached common standpoints of the V4 countries on joining the Schengen area according to the original timetable, on visa-free travel to the USA for the V4 citizens in the shortest possible time perspective and on strengthening the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) were praised.
 
Projects financed from the increased 5 million Euro budget of the International Visegrad Fund fostering people-to-people contacts and involving the civil society, launching the new web site of the Visegrad Group (www.visegradgroup.eu) and the new V4 logo have undoubtedly positively contributed to the strengthening of the Central European identity.

 

At the summit the Program of the forthcoming Presidency of the Czech Republic in the Visegrad Group was presented. The Prime Ministers expressed their firm support for the Program and main priorities of the upcoming V4 Presidency.

 

The V4 Prime Ministers exchanged their views on current European topics—future EU treaty, European Neighbourhood Policy, energy policy, Schengen and European Monetary Union.

The V4 countries support the objectives of the current German EU Presidency to deepen cooperation with EU neighbours. The V4 has a particular interest to promote relations with countries of the Eastern Europe.

The V4 Prime Ministers stressed that energy security is of major and strategic importance for the sustainability of economic development in Europe and called for a more coordinated approach in this field.

The V4 Prime Ministers confirmed their strong commitment to enter the Schengen zone on 1st January 2008, as planned, and informed each other about their steps and good progress achieved towards this end in all of their countries. They, at the same time, consider unhelpful any statements and intentions from any third party going against this objective.