Podgorica, 22 July 2016 – Handover of the one-year presidency of the Visegrad Group (V4) from Check republic to Poland was ceremonially marked in the EU Info Centre. At a joint conference, diplomatic representatives of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, member countries of the Central Europe’s chief organization of regional cooperation, stated their further support to Montenegro’s EU integration process.
“The Polish Presidency takes place at the same time when the EU is faced with new challenges, above all due to the migration crisis. These challenges will determine the general approach of the EU Member States towards the integration process of the Western Balkans (WB). The enlargement process remains the best tool to bring security, stability and prosperity to this region. The V4 will remain committed to promoting the enlargement process strongly believing that it serves the best interest of both the EU and the enlargement countries as well”, said Polish Ambassador to Montenegro, H.E. Irena Tatarzynska.
Chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of the Czech Republic, Mr. Petr Smejkal remainded that during the Czech presidency, the support to Western Balkans’ euro-atlantic integrations, was also one of the priorities of the V4. To that point, he reminded that in November 2015, Foreign Affairs Ministers of V4 and WB countries signed documents on the foundation of Western Balkans Fund aimed at supporting the Balkan countries in their further european integration.
Programme of the Polish presidency of the Visegrad Group also involves continuation of the Network of Experts on the rule of law and fundamental rights and Enlargement Academy projects, as well as other mechanisms of sharing experience of the V4 countries, inter alia in the area of regional cooperation, reconciliation and transformation. Through activities (inter alia in the form of political consultations), V4 aims to keep enlargement further on the EU agenda, to facilitate progress of the enlargement countries in their process of integration into the EU and to promote the principles of fair conditionality and a merit based process.
*More on V4 can be found at: http://www.visegradgroup.eu/
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