Slovakia assumed the leadership of the Visegrad Group (V4) of central European countries at a meeting in Budapest on Tuesday, July 20. Slovakia, which last chaired the group in 2007, inherited the rotating presidency of the group from Hungary.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as well as Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that initiatives within the V4 now have to come from Slovak Prime Minister Iveta Radičová, who added that she is looking forward to the role. “We look for what connects us and disregard what separates us,” she said, as quoted by the SITA newswire.
The prime ministers of all four countries accepted the programme of the Slovak presidency, with priorities including minimising the negative effects of the economic and financial crisis, building energy security, and intensifying cooperation within the EU. With regard to crafting the European 2020 Strategy, Radičová proposed forming a common strategy that will not be “planning, but a reform document”.
Source: SITA
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
