V4

The debate summarises the outcomes of the research conducted in all four V4 countries. Focusing on V4 mainstream media, the four country studies combine both sides of news production and consumption by analysing the narratives about the future of Ukraine vis-à-vis EU accession, but also how news audiences in these four countries reflect on the most frequent topics regarding the image of Ukraine in the EU.

Robert Fico has been Slovakia's Prime Minister again for a little over a year. As premier, he pursues autocratic ambitions and maintains close contacts with Russia. Is the country on the same path as Hungary? Project manager Kristína Chlebáková from the EUROPEUM Institute commented for the Hannoversche Allgemeine.

Differences on key issues between the leaders of the Visegrad Four countries are now being widely discussed in the context of the ongoing summit in Prague. How the relations between the countries will develop, whether we are heading towards the disintegration of the V4 or whether this is an eternal partnership of reason, was analysed by Žiga Faktor, Deputy Director and Head of the Brussels Office, for the RTVS podcast Z prvej ruky.

Viktor Daněk, our Deputy Director, commented on the current government situation in Poland in a report for TV Nova.

On Wednesday, 22 November, the presidents of the V4 countries met at Prague Castle. Our researcher Klára Votavová answered questions about the future of the V4 forum.

The alliance between the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland is weakening more and more and the possibility of a Donald Tusk's government in Poland will certainly not help the V4 to come together again. Viktor Daněk, deputy director of EUROPEUM, commented on this topic for the newspaper Právo.

A new policy paper, produced with the support of the Visegrad Fund project, analyses the views of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary on the further enlargement of the European Union. With the granting of candidate status to Moldova and Ukraine and the recognition of Georgia as a potential candidate in June 2022, the issue of reforming the EU accession process is becoming absolutely crucial and, in the context of the war in Ukraine, a divisive issue for the V4 countries. The authors of the publication are Jana Juzová, Ferenc Németh, Tomáš Strážay and Marta Szpala.

The project assesses the production, distribution and consumption of news on Ukraine’s future vis-a-vis European integration by the V4 mainstream media. The aim is to designate both dominant and marginalized narratives, while also analyzing their impact via focus groups. The findings will be presented to stakeholders in order to improve reporting and increase the audiences’ access to information.

The project focuses on strengthening civil society organizations in Serbia towards more successful advocacy and enhanced participation in policymaking within the area of green transformation with a particular focus on coal phase-out.

Read the background paper for the Belgrade conference, which focuses on the phasing out of coal mining in the V4 countries, to representatives of Serbian civil society. Our project manager and junior researcher Tatiana Mindekova worked on the paper on behalf of EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy.

Our senior researcher Jana Juzová wrote an article for VISEGRAD/INSIGHT on "The Czech Republic and Slovakia in the lead". Since July, the Czech Republic has held the presidency of the EU Council and Slovakia the presidency of the Visegrad Four. Although the V4 is now in the shadow of Czech and Slovak foreign policy, this does not mean that it is less important or that it is falling apart. However, the V4 crisis triggered by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán may be an opportunity for the Czech Republic and Slovakia to determine the direction of the Visegrad Four.

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.