Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič returned on Saturday, September 12, from a summit of the Visegrad Four (V4) presidents (of Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary) in Sopot, Poland. On Friday, September 11, the four presidents discussed the position of the V4 countries within the 27 countries of the European Union.
"The V4 has importance and reason. Its solidarity and the mutual support of member states is a good way for the future. We should make use of the advantages of this alliance to strengthen our positions within the EU," Gašparovič told the TASR newswire.
The presidents also focused on the future functioning of the EU if the Treaty of Lisbon is rejected. Gašparovič expressed support for the completion of the ratification process, adding that the EU should agree on the future of relations between national parliaments and the union. The Slovak president proposed creating a Visegrad region within European regional policy, which he said would be beneficial for the V4 countries as well as for the EU.
Gašparovič added that the V4 member countries should produce television and radio programmes informing people about the issues with which the V4 is currently dealing.
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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