BERLIN - According to Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, the Visegrad Group is currently virtually non-functional. The main reason for this is the tension between Poland and Hungary, which has deepened in recent years due to the different political positions of the two countries. Babiš said this at a press conference after a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin.

„Visegrad is not working now,“ Babiš said. According to him, the main reason for this is the deterioration of relations between Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The two politicians hold significantly different positions, for example, on Russia and the war in Ukraine, which complicates joint policy coordination within the Visegrad Four.

Despite the current disputes, the Czech Prime Minister stressed that regional cooperation still makes sense in his view. According to Babiš, Central European countries should cooperate regardless of changes in governments or election results in individual countries. The region remains an important economic partner of Germany and has a significant weight in European politics, he said.

The Visegrad Group was established in 1991 as a platform for cooperation between the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary. The original aim was to coordinate steps in the integration into European and transatlantic structures. In the past, the V4 countries often acted together, for example, on migration issues or in promoting certain regional economic interests in the European Union. In recent years, however, their cooperation has been undermined by diverging political priorities and geopolitical positions.

The tensions between Warsaw and Budapest have intensified, especially after Donald Tusk's government took office in Poland. While Poland has been one of the most active supporters of Ukraine and has pushed for a tougher policy towards Russia, Viktor Orbán's Hungarian government has taken a much more cautious stance towards Moscow and has repeatedly criticised some of the EU's sanctions measures. These differences are also reflected in the functioning of regional cooperation formats.

However, the meeting between Babiš and German Chancellor Merz was not only about the Visegrad Group. The main topics were also European security, energy policy and preparations for the upcoming EU summit.

The discussion touched on, for example, the system of European emission allowances. While Babiš has long criticized the system and advocated changes to it, Merz described it as an important climate policy tool, although he admitted that it may require some adjustments.

The German Chancellor also thanked the Czech government for continuing the so-called ammunition initiative, the aim of which is to secure supplies of artillery ammunition for Ukraine. According to Merz, this is an important contribution to the country's defence against a Russian invasion.

gnews.cz - GH