Visegrád Group
Cultural and political alliance in Europe / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Visegrád Group (also known as the Visegrád Four or the V4) is a cultural and political alliance of four Central European countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia.[3] The alliance aims to advance co-operation in military, economic, cultural and energy affairs, and to further their integration with the EU.[4] All four states are also members of the European Union (EU), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the Bucharest Nine (B9).
Membership | |
---|---|
Leaders | |
Czech Republic | |
Establishment | 15 February 1991 |
Area | |
• Total | 533,615 km2 (206,030 sq mi) |
Population | |
• 2019 estimate | 63,845,789[1] |
• Density | 120.0/km2 (310.8/sq mi) |
GDP (nominal) | 2022[2] estimate |
• Total | €1.213 trillion |
• Per capita | €19,000 |
The alliance traces its origins to the summit meetings of leaders of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland, held in the Hungarian castle town of Visegrád[5] on 15 February 1991. Visegrád was chosen as the location for the summits as an intentional allusion to the medieval Congress of Visegrád between John I of Bohemia, Charles I of Hungary, and Casimir III of Poland in 1335.
After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the Czech Republic and Slovakia became independent members of the alliance, increasing the number of members from three to four. All four members of the Visegrád Group joined the European Union on 1 May 2004, achieving its main goal.
The Visegrad Four became notoriously known in Western Europe as naysayers blocking the EU-level response during the European immigration crisis in 2015. Furthermore, the EU Commission started infringement procedures against actions of the Hungarian and Polish national-conservative governments, seen as undermining democracy, media freedom, and the independence of the judiciary.[6] The Visegrad Four became politically split due to changes in governments and diverging reactions to the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Yet its role in fostering exchange among countries’ public servants and civil societies (Visegrad Fund) remains crucial.[7] If the Visegrád Group was a single country, it would be similar to that of Metropolitan France in land area, population, and economy.