Visegrad Group pledges joint support for issues promoted in next year’s EU presidency

The presidents of the Visegrad Group states – that is, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary – have pledged joint support for issues to be promoted by Hungary and Poland´s EU presidency next year. Czech President Václav Klaus told reporters on Friday that the issues would primarily include energy security and the removal of barriers between the V4 and some of the "old" EU countries. He said the presidents of Poland and Hungary has presented other issues that their countries´ presidencies will focus on, but said it remained unclear to what extent those issues correspond to the interests of the other V4 members, such as Poland´s aim of lifting barriers in Europe. The four presidents are currently meeting in the West Bohemian town of Karlovy Vary for a two-day summit. The summit is particularly important as Mr Klaus and and Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic are meeting with the newly elected presidents of Hungary and Poland, Pal Schmitt and Bronislaw Komorowski, for the first time.