SLOVAKIA will preside over the Visegrad Group for one year, starting July 1. The government’s top representatives have previously called the presidency over the group a top priority, and see it as preparation for Slovakia’s six-month presidency of the European Council in the second half of 2016.
Slovakia will oversee the regional grouping, also known as the V4, which also includes Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, under the motto “Dynamic Visegrad for Europe and the world”, Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák announced at a press conference on June 30. The motto should reflect Slovakia’s interest in strengthening the competitiveness and economic growth in the region as a whole, he explained, as reported by the SITA newswire.
To demonstrate the ambition to be dynamic, Slovakia’s presidency will be the first to have a Twitter profile. Lajčák sent the first tweet during the press conference, saying “V4 starts tweeting”.
“We have focused the programme of Slovakia’s presidency on the consolidation of public finances, the stimulation of economic growth and preventing tax evasion and tax fraud in the V4 countries,” the minister said, as quoted by SITA.
The task of the presidency will also be to set up communication channels with the new bodies of the EU after the European Parliament elections.
Source: SITA
Compiled by Michaela Terenzani from press reports.
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information
presented in its Flash News postings.
