Visegrad Insight Podcast: Are Czechs or Slovaks Downplaying the V4 Presidency?

Our Senior Research Fellow Jana Juzová was a guest on a podcast hosted by Visegrad Insight, where she discusses the launch of the Czech EU Presidency and the Slovak Presidency of the Visegrad Group.

Moderator: "My question concern the cooperation between Czech republic and Slovakia and the vision both countries may share about the future of the Central Eastern Europe. As it happened both countries at the same time began their presidency. Thus, what are the similarities in their approach of both Czech Republic and Slovakia …"

Jana Juzová: "The timing of the Czech EU presidency and Slovak presidency within V4 is a very interesting coincidence and I am also very curious to see how it changes the dynamic of V4 for such because basically, both countries are currently in process of sort of distancing them self from the rest of V4, meaning Hungary and Poland. They are also pursuing this agenda of re-establishing things the rule of law and democratic governance within their countries, freedom of media, fight against corruption, and so on. They are both trying to position themself as serious European partners for other member states within the EU. This of course is difficult to do when we have prime minister Orban speaking on behalf of V4 and promoting Hungarian narratives. Both countries will be faced with the challenge of how to continue Visegrath cooperation in the areas where it is beneficial for all countries involved, repairing the image of V4 while actually still setting the agenda and leading the show and not letting the prime minister feel it..."

You can listen to the whole podcast in English here.

Jana Juzová
Senior Research Fellow

Expertise: regionalism, Visegrad cooperation, democratization and European integration of the Western Balkan countries, EU enlargement