Visegrád summit in Prague: irreconcilable differences?
In recent years it was mainly Viktor Orbán who, with his pro-Russian stance which contradicted that of Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, caused trouble within the Visegrád group. Now he has found an ally in Slovakian Premier Robert Fico. Meanwhile, Poland and the Czech Republic have grown closer together since Donald Tusk's election victory.
Group just a sham these days
The summit put the nail in the coffin for the Visegrád Group, according to Sme:
“The staged performance of the Prague briefing, put on by the heads of state for the press, was the chilliest it has been in many years. It was a solemn reminder that here is a regional group in which there is no fundamental agreement but rather deep differences of opinion on the biggest issue of the moment – nothing but a sham, existing only through inertia and habit, but not sustainable or lasting in any way. It is impossible to avoid the issue of Ukraine. A vast value gap is opening up here between one V2 and the other. Even if they wanted to, Tusk and Fiala would not be able to find partners in the EU whose values are more different from their own than Orbán and Fico.”
If anyone leaves it should be Orbán and Fico
For all the differences of opinion, Poland and the Czech Republic will adhere to the Visegrád format for the time being, predicts Respekt:
“Of course, it would be an option to demonstratively exit the joint forum and thus make it very clear just how different they are from Orbán and Fico. But there is a saying for such moments: he who leaves the meeting room must re-enter it one day. And that's why it makes more sense to talk to these two Putin puppets forcefully and openly and without the usual diplomatic caution – as both Fiala and Tusk did at the meeting behind closed doors in Prague. If anyone leaves, it should be prime ministers Orbán and Fico, if they cannot cope with such direct negotiations.”
V4 still needed
Polityka believes in the future of the Visegrád Group:
“The cooperation of the V4 will continue, but it will also develop within the framework of the EU and in the spirit of the first declaration of 1991, whose liberal and pro-Western slogans would not cross the lips of Orbán, Fico or representatives of the former PiS government today. Poland should make clever use of this format by exploiting its potential within EU structures and using it to promote EU enlargement that includes more neighbouring countries. Furthermore, we should not forget that politics does not tolerate a power vacuum. If we give up the field, it will be quickly occupied by the competition, which is not necessarily a better alternative. It will therefore pay off to adapt the V4, because our foundations are strong.”
No place for the likes of Orbán in the ECR
The summit has not improved Hungary's position in the EU, writes Népszava:
“Although Viktor Orbán says that Fidesz wants to join the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR) in the next EU parliament, the events of the last few days may have closed the doors for the Hungarian ruling party for good. ... A party whose prime minister refused to call Putin a war criminal at the Visegrád summit would not even find a place in a far-right group. ... Especially after the bad mood that prevailed at the V4 summit and Orbán's statements in Prague, the MPs of Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala's ODS party will be even less willing to contemplate the idea of being in the same camp as this Hungarian political force.”