Visegrad group is an association of four Central European states. It was formed in Visegrad (Hungary) in 1991, February 15. Let us further consider which states are included in the Visegrad group and the features of the existence of the association.
General information
Initially, the Visegrad group of countries was called the Visegrad Three. Its formation was attended by Lech Walesa, Vaclav Havel and Jozsef Antall. In 1991, February 15, they signed a joint declaration on the desire to integrate into the structures of Europe.
Which countries are included in the Visegrad group?
The leaders of Hungary, Poland and Czechoslovakia participated in the signing of the joint declaration. In 1993, Czechoslovakia officially ceased to exist. As a result, the Visegrad group included not three, but four countries: Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia.
Prerequisites for the creation
The history of the Visegrád group began in the early 90s. A special role in relations in the eastern part of Europe and the choice of the international political direction was played not only by the cultural-historical, but also by the human factor. In the region, it was necessary to form a kind of anti-communist quasistructure oriented toward civilizational kinship with the West.
Several schemes were used at once, since the risk of failure was rather high. In the south, the Central European Initiative began to take shape; in the north, the Visegrad Initiative. At the initial stage, the Eastern European states intended to maintain integration without the participation of the USSR.
It is worth saying that in the history of the formation of the Visegrad group there are still many unsolved mysteries. The idea was immediately apprehended very cautiously, since it was revolutionary for that time. Politicians and experts not only spoke, but also thought in terms of the Central European Initiative, which was revived in the outlines of Austria-Hungary, which was considered the only possible continuation of the history of Eastern Europe.
Formation Features
According to the official version, the idea of creating a Visegrad group of countries arose in 1990, in November. A meeting of the CSCE was held in Paris, during which the Hungarian Prime Minister invited the leaders of Czechoslovakia and Poland to Visegrad.
On February 15, 1991, Antall, Havel and Walesa signed a declaration in the presence of the prime ministers, foreign ministers and the president of Hungary. As Esensky notes, this event was not the result of pressure from Brussels, Washington or Moscow. The states included in the Visegrad group independently decided to unite for further joint work with the West in order to avoid a repetition of historical events, to accelerate the "transition from the Soviet to the Euro-Atlantic direction."
Union value
The first agreements, in which states participated after the collapse of the USSR, the Warsaw Pact, CMEA, Yugoslavia, dealt mainly with issues of strengthening cooperation in the field of regional security. They were signed in 1991, in October. Zbigniew Brzezinski believed that the Vyshegrad group would take on the functions of a kind of buffer. It was supposed to protect the center of "developed Europe" from the unstable situation in the territory of the USSR that had ceased to exist.
Achievements
The most successful outcome of the cooperation of the Visegrad group countries at the initial stage of its existence is the signing of the Central European Agreement governing free trade. It was concluded in 1992, December 20.
This event allowed the formation of a single customs zone before the entry of states into the EU. The signing of the agreement demonstrated the ability of the members of the Visegrad Group to develop constructive solutions. Accordingly, this created the prerequisites for the joint mobilization of forces while defending their own interests in the EU.
Instability of cooperation
The formation of the Visegrad group did not prevent the collapse of Czechoslovakia. It did not save from the growing tension in relations between Hungary and Slovakia. In 1993, the Visegrad troika turned into four in the former borders. At the same time, Hungary and Slovakia began a dispute over the continuation of the construction of a waterworks on the Danube.
The continued existence of the Visegrád Group is due to the influence of the EU. At the same time, the actions of the European Union did not always ensure the deep interaction of the union members. The adaptation of new members to the EU rather contributed to the erosion of unity than to strengthening.
The Central European Free Trade Area ensured the removal of customs barriers. On the whole, it did not stimulate the development of horizontal economic relations in the region. For each of the participating countries, subsidies from EU funds remained a key guideline in the Oshyegrad Group . An open struggle was waged between the countries, which contributed to the verticalization of interstate ties and their closure in the center of the EU.
During the 1990s. the relations between the members of the Visegrad Group were characterized by a more fierce struggle for the opportunity to be the first to become members of the European Union than the desire for mutual assistance. For Warsaw, Budapest, Prague and Bratislava, the priority in the first stage of the approval of the new political regime was internal processes that related to the struggle for power and property, overcoming the economic crisis.
Lull period
Between 1994 and 1997 The Visegrad group never met. The interaction took place mainly between Hungary and Slovakia. The leaders of the countries discussed the issue of the controversial construction of a hydroelectric complex on the Danube and the development of an agreement on friendship. The signing of the latter was a condition of the European Union.
The Hungarians managed to challenge the construction of a waterworks on lands inhabited by ethnic Hungarians. However, the Court did not resolve the dispute in their favor. This contributed to the increase in tension. As a result, the meeting of the leaders of the Foreign Ministries of Hungary and Slovakia planned in September 20, 1997, in Bratislava was canceled.
New momentum
In 1997, on December 13, at a meeting of the Council of the European Union in Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary received an official invitation to negotiate EU accession. This opened up the prospect of close interaction, exchange of experience on membership issues for the group members.
Certain changes have also occurred in the internal life of countries. A new round of interaction has replaced the leadership of states. Although, in fact, no easy solution was foreshadowed: in three countries liberals and socialists came to power, and in one (Hungary) center-right.
Resumption of cooperation
It was announced at the end of October 1998 on the eve of Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary joining NATO. At a meeting in Budapest, state leaders adopted a joint statement. It is noteworthy that the issue of the situation in Yugoslavia was not discussed at the meeting, despite the fact that the approach of war was felt quite acutely. This fact confirms the assumption that at the initial stage of development, the Visegrad Association was considered in the West more as an instrument of its own geopolitics.
Further development of relations
Joining NATO, the war in the region for some time brought together the states of the Visegrad group. However, the basis of this interaction was unstable.
One of the key problems for countries remained the search for areas of mutually beneficial cooperation. A new round of relations still overshadowed the dispute over the waterworks.
Preparations for signing membership agreements and agreeing on the conditions for joining the EU were scattered, even, one might say, in a struggle. Agreements on the development of infrastructure, the protection of nature, and cultural interaction did not entail any serious obligations, nor were they aimed at strengthening central European cooperation as a whole.
Meeting in Bratislava
It occurred in 1999, May 14. The meeting was attended by the prime ministers of the four member states of the group. In Bratislava, the problems of interaction with a number of countries and international organizations were discussed.
The Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, which joined NATO on March 12 , advocated admission to the alliance and Slovakia, which was deleted from the list of candidates during the period of the Mechiyar’s premiership.
In October 1999, an informal meeting of prime ministers was held in Slovak Yavorin. The meeting discussed issues related to improving security in the region, the fight against crime, the visa regime. On December 3 of the same year, in the Slovak Gerlachev, the presidents of the countries approved the Tatra Declaration. In it, the leaders reaffirmed their determination to continue cooperation with the goal of "giving Central Europe a new face." The declaration emphasized the desire of the group members to join the EU and duplicated the request for NATO to accept Slovakia into the organization.
The situation after the meeting of the EU Heads of State in Nice
The leaders of the group countries expected the outcome of this meeting with great hope. The meeting in Nice took place in 2000. As a result, the deadline for EU enlargement was set in 2004.
In January 19, 2001, the leaders of the group’s member countries adopted a declaration proclaiming achievements and successes in the process of integration into NATO and the EU. On May 31, partnerships were offered to non-member states. The status of partners immediately got Slovenia and Austria.
After several informal meetings, in 2001, on December 5, a meeting of the prime ministers of the group and the Benelux states was held in Brussels. Before joining the EU, the Visegrad Union states began work on improving the regime of forthcoming cooperation within the European Union.
Premiere of V. Orban
In the early 2000s. the nature of cooperation was greatly influenced by internal contradictions. For example, the claims of an ambitious, successful, young V. Orbán (Prime Minister of Hungary) for the group’s leader became apparent. The period of his work was marked by serious successes in the economic sphere of Hungary. Orban sought to expand the group’s borders by establishing close collaboration with Croatia and Austria. This perspective, however, was not consistent with the interests of Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic.
After the statement of Orban on the responsibility of Czechoslovakia for the resettlement of Hungarians in the post-war period according to Benes decrees, a lull began again in relations within the group. Before joining the EU, the Hungarian Prime Minister demanded that Slovakia and the Czech Republic pay compensation to the victims of the Benes regime. As a result, in March 2002, the prime ministers of these countries did not come to the working meeting of the heads of government of the Visegrad Group.
Conclusion
In May 12, 2004, the prime ministers of Belka, Dzurinda, Spidla, Meddeshi met in Kromeriz to develop plans for cooperation programs within the EU. At the meeting, participants emphasized that accession to the European Union marked the achievement of the main goals of the Visegrad Declaration. At the same time, the prime ministers especially noted the assistance provided to them by the Benelux states and the countries of Northern Europe. The immediate goal of the group called the assistance of Bulgaria and Romania in joining the EU.
The experience of the 1990-2000s. left a lot of questions about the effectiveness of the four's cooperation. However, undoubtedly, the group ensured the maintenance of a regional dialogue - a means of preventing large-scale conflicts in the center of Europe.