A one day summit of the Visegrad Four alliance has ended. The prime ministers of Poland, Slovakia and Hungary along with the Czech minister of foreign affairs have summed up the annual leadership of Slovakia. The other topics of the meeting included European issues such as the nearly completed Hungarian EU Presidency and the priorities of the incoming Polish Presidency. “Nowhere else in Europe is there so much pro-European energy and determination”, said Donald Tusk.
According to the Polish prime minister, the Visegrad Group countries have become one of the most significant initiatives in the European Union hit by the crisis. “Today, the Visegrad Group is an important pillar the European integration is based on”, remarked Tusk. Moreover, he talked about the tasks set by the Group, including: the accession of Croatia, Balkan states, Ukraine and, in the future, Moldova to the EU.
Evaluating the annual Slovak leadership in the Visegrad Group, Donald Tusk emphasized that the last 12 months had seen quite a few important energy safety activities carried out. “Were it not for Visegrad, our arrangements related to gas interconnectors would not be as dynamic as they are”, noted the Polish prime minister. “Energy safety is a top priority for our countries”, he added.
Donald Tusk made some remarks on the Hungarian EU Presidency which is nearing its end. He underlined the fact that Hungary had managed to lead the Union effectively at a time when numerous member states were still experiencing the negative effects of the global financial crisis. According to the head of the Polish government, the success of Hungary should be seen in terms of a victory pulled off by the whole Visegrad Group. “Over the year, we have supported one another as much as possible”, said Tusk. He added that the priorities of the Polish Presidency make up, to a large extent, the continuation of what the Hungarians have done, and that they are fully supported by the Group.
The Four have signed a mutual declaration on the Group’s involvement in the development of the Eastern Partnership. A special program for the countries taken into the Partnership will be established within the framework of the International Visegrad Fund. Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary have agreed to increase the Fund by another EUR 1 million, from 2012, in order to develop the program. Previously, the Fund budget amounted to EUR 5 million.
Źródło: PL2011.eu June 21 2011