Dear Reader,

The Hungarian National Assembly has always been committed to developing the parliamentary dimension of the Visegrád Cooperation established in 1991.

Therefore, it was with great pleasure that we prepared for the Presidency of the Visegrád Group to be held by Hungary between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022. We now take over the V4 Presidency from our Polish friends and will hand it over to our Slovak friends next year. Great importance is attached to our Presidency as its first half coincides with both the 30th anniversary of the Visegrád Cooperation in 2021 and the 2021 Hungarian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

The world, including Central Europe, has recently had, and will continue, to face many challenges. In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic that made it very difficult for the Polish V4 Presidency to carry out its duties, there is a wide range of security policy issues, the support for South-East Europe and the Eastern Partnership as well as various topics raised at the Conference on the Future of Europe that require unified action.

Parliamentary events under the Hungarian V4 Presidency will be aligned with the key government messages of our Presidency, focusing on post-pandemic recovery, including the development of a vision of stability and security for Europe, the restart of the economy and the reopening of the society as well as the strengthening of “V4+” partnerships.

With its events for Speakers and Committees to be held under the Presidency, the Hungarian National Assembly will take an active role in deepening the cooperation among the Parliaments of the Visegrád Countries and strengthening the roles of national parliaments, particularly in view of parliamentary dialogue on ideas about the future of Europe or support for the accession of Western Balkan countries to the European Union. As the Speaker of the National Assembly, it is my objective to work with my Czech, Polish and Slovak peers to identify areas to represent the common position of our countries in negotiations at the European level.

In hopes of effectively enhancing the successful cooperation we have had so far, this website will keep you updated on our parliamentary meetings.

Yours sincerely,

László Kövér
Speaker of the National Assembly