Speakers of V4 Parliaments Hold Meeting in Topacz Castle on 11 June 2021


The Speakers of Parliament of Poland, which is currently holding the presidency of the Visegrád Group (V4), namely Elżbieta Witek, Marshal of the Polish Sejm, and Tomasz Grodzki, Marshal of the Polish Senate, hosted the Speakers of V4 Parliaments in Topacz Castle near Wrocław on 11 June 2021. In addition to the hosts of the event, the meeting was attended by László Kövér, Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly, as well as Radek Vondráček, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, Miloš Vystrčil, President of the Senate of the Czech Republic, and Boris Kollár, Speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic. As the closing event for the Polish V4 Presidency, this personal meeting focused on two key topics: Joint V4 response to regional and global challenges and threats (covering the directions of development of military cooperation of the Visegrád Group in the context of strengthening NATO's Eastern Flank and building the EU’s military capabilities as well as the impact of armed conflicts, the COVID-19 pandemic and migration on the stability and security of our region) and the Conference on the Future of Europe and the role of national parliaments.

In relation to the response to regional and global challenges and threats, the participants praised successful military cooperation and stressed the necessity for continued joint action and the importance of cybersecurity, referenced the need to improve and coordinate pandemic preparedness and recalled the continued risks inherent in migration. László Kövér also emphasised the role played by Western Balkan countries in security policy.

With regard to the Conference on the Future of the European Union and the role of national parliaments, Elżbieta Witek underlined the importance of the Sejm’s standing subcommittee on this topic, Tomasz Grodzki highlighted the significance of shared responsibility, while László Kövér pointed out the relevance of involving candidate countries. Miloš Vystrčil called for the need for a preliminary assessment of the current EU acquis, its achievements, and of any necessary revisions, while Radek Vondráček reported on promoting this topic and Boris Kollár talked about the upcoming multi-level discussion and the civil platforms to be created.

During the event and the subsequent press conference, Speaker László Kövér thanked the Polish V4 Presidency for its successful efforts and provided information on the parliamentary programmes envisaged by the upcoming Hungarian Presidency with its term set to start on 1 July 2021. He also expressed that, based on the discussions at the conference, the Hungarian National Assembly is prepared to coordinate the cooperation among representatives of Visegrád countries delegated to attend the Conference on the Future of Europe.

At the end of the meeting, Speakers adopted a joint statement to present their common position.

+ Photos
+ Joint Statement