During Wednesday’s summit of the Visegrad Group Prime Ministers in Cracow a declaration setting out the goals for the future of the V4 and a digital declaration will be adopted, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk announced on Tuesday.
A summit of the Prime Ministers of the Visegrad Group will be held in Cracow on Wednesday with the participation of the President of the European Council Charles Michel to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Visegrad cooperation. On 1st July 2020, Poland started its one-year presidency of the V4.
‘Tomorrow is the culmination of our Presidency, the 30th anniversary of the Visegrad Group. At the invitation of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Prime Ministers of the V4 countries and the President of the European Council – a special guest emphasizing the position of the Visegrad Group in European structures – Charles Michel will come to Cracow for this traditional part of the celebrations, commemorating the history of the Visegrad Group,’ said Szynkowski vel Sęk during the press conference.
He informed that in the first part of the summit, there would be a discussion on the history of the Visegrad Group and a summary of the V4 effectiveness.
‘There will also be the adoption of a detailed declaration (…) setting out the objectives for the future of the Visegrad Group’ – he announced.
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs did not want to say what specifically will be included in the declaration, but he assured that ‘it will be the most detailed document in terms of areas of cooperation in the 30 years of the Visegrad Group so far’.
‘It will not be a celebratory, occasional document. It will be a concrete document, directly indicating areas of cooperation,’ announced Szynkowski vel Sęk.
In the second part of the summit, the ICE Kraków Congress Centre will host a discussion on the digital agenda, new technologies and the gaming sector.
‘A digital declaration will also be adopted,’ said the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
‘We are connected not only by geography, not only by history, or a common, similar understanding of the words “freedom” and “solidarity”, but also by similar socio-economic challenges’ – said the Deputy Minister.
According to him, ‘the Visegrad Group is one of the most durable and effective formats for regional cooperation’.
‘We have come a long way together – from Soviet domination to the European Union and NATO. From a centrally planned economy to one of the world’s greatest economic success stories. From being an object of other people’s politics to be the subject, to be a regional power, but also power with a global influence,’ said Szynkowski vel Sęk.
He announced that over the next 30 years V4 wants to bring societies closer together, strengthen its brand, make the region more attractive to investors, develop tourism and the economy.
‘The Visegrad Group has a future and this is what Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki will certainly talk about,’ the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs added.
Asked what Poland’s plans for the second half of the Visegrad Group presidency would be, he said that much would depend on epidemic conditions, but Poland would like at least one more meeting of V4 Prime Ministers to take place, ‘possibly in the V4 plus format, i.e., with a significant external partner’.