In Budapest on Thursday, Richard Raši, Chairman (President) of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, said that he considers the V4 to be “one of the most stable formats”.
He expressed his conviction that there are many common views, for example on EU enlargement, energy security, cohesion policy, interconnectivity, and the protection of external borders.
He emphasized that
he could envisage coordinated action, as the four countries have a combined population of 65 million, which represents 14 percent of the EU’s population.
The politician also noted that they very often share the same view of the EU’s competitiveness. He added that a balance must be found between climate ambitions and the needs of European industry.
Meeting of Speakers of the Parliaments of the Visegrad Countries. Photo: MTI/Lakatos Péter
Miloš Vystrčil, President of the Senate of the Czech Republic, said that although “we did not reach any common conclusions,” the exchange of views was important because dialogue is a source of trust and the worst thing is when people do not talk to each other.
He stated that the V4 countries are part of the EU and therefore share responsibility for what happens and for whether “we do well or not.”
He said it was undeniable that Europe and the EU had long been losing out to the U.S., China, and Asia in terms of competitiveness. He pointed out that lower energy prices could boost the competitiveness of the continent and, by extension, the V4 countries. However, he said that energy prices are high because “at a certain point, we made bad strategic decisions” and imported strategic raw materials “from Russia, for example, to such an extent” that when gas and oil stopped coming from there, “we were unable to react quickly and find other sources,” which led to price increases.
He emphasized that
we should work together to protect our independence so that “we do not suddenly find ourselves in a situation where we can only get things from China.”
According to Tomio Okamura, leader of the Freedom and Direct Democracy party and president of the Czech Parliament’s Lower House, the meeting proved that the V4 countries want to be active partners.
In his view, the key to increasing competitiveness is cheap energy and less regulation, and Brussels’ climate policy must be prevented from destroying the V4 countries’ industry.
The Czech government does not want to be part of initiatives that threaten the competitiveness of domestic industry, which is why, for instance, it wants to achieve the abolition of the planned ban on the sale of internal combustion engine cars from 2035,”
he said.
Speaking about demographics, he stated that the Czech government supports families in various ways, such as by increasing tax breaks and making it easier to buy their own homes.
Szymon Hołownia, Marshal (Speaker) of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, said that the meeting was “a frank discussion with partners who do not agree on everything.” He saw the main difference in the assessment of the war in Ukraine. Poland’s position is that the enemy is not in the West, not in Brussels, but in the East, he said, adding that seeking a majority to overthrow the European Commission is an idea that serves the Russians.
On the subject of competitiveness, he identified deregulation as a fundamental challenge for the entire EU. He added that fewer decisions should be made in Brussels, Budapest, or Warsaw, as local governments know best what their communities need.
Poland is opposed to spending cohesion funds on security purposes, he said, adding that nuclear energy is essential to achieving energy policy goals.
He also said that more children are not born as a result of ideological “scaremongering,” but rather when families are provided with a safe environment, good public services, schools, transportation, and jobs.
Maciej Żywno, Deputy Speaker of the Polish Senate, said that there is one common denominator, and that is security. Stability means peace above all else, and the war raging on our countries’ borders does not necessarily inspire a sense of security, he said.
A Polish or Hungarian entrepreneur will not develop or invest because they do not know what tomorrow will bring,”
the politician pointed out.
“Entrepreneurs do not know whether they will have employees or whether those employees will be taken away to serve as soldiers on the front lines, because the war is currently taking place in Ukraine, but no one can say what scenarios will unfold tomorrow,” he said.
He noted that the areas around the Belarusian, Lithuanian, and Russian borders are becoming depopulated because people do not feel safe. As war approaches, the tendency to migrate is growing, he added.
“We must fight for security and peace,” he concluded.
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Strengthening the cooperation within the V4, including Hungary, is key.Continue reading
Via MTI; Featured photo: MTI/Lakatos Péter
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