Marek Kuchciński, Marshal of the Sejm of Poland, and Stanisław Karczewski, Marshal of the Senate of Poland, hosted the presidents and speakers of V4 parliaments for an official meeting in Warsaw on 6-7 March 2017. In addition to the two hosts and Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary László Kövér, Andrej Danko, Speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic; Jan Hamáček, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic; and Milan Štěch, President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic also participated in the meeting.  Following the event, the Hungarian Speaker also held bilateral talks with his Polish colleagues.

The agenda of the meeting featured discussions of the future of the European Union as well as opportunities for the strengthening of parliamentary cooperation in the V4 Group.

Meeting participants agreed that thinking together about the future of Europe is highly timely.  Within the frameworks of the core treaties of the European Union, participants found it necessary for national parliaments to speak with a stronger voice in EU decision making.  All participants agreed that the EU must be transformed.  There was also agreement that the performance of EU institutions is inadequate; participants therefore found the formalisation of a V4 Parliamentary Assembly worth considering.  László Kövér proposed holding meetings of European Affairs Committees three times a year, and noted the importance of coordinating positions related to subsidiarity checks. Following their review of possible avenues for strengthening V4 parliamentary cooperation, meeting participants formulated specific recommendations.

Following the official meeting of V4 Speakers of Parliament, the Hungarian Speaker of Parliament conducted bilateral talks with the Marshals of the Sejm and the Senate of Poland. At their meeting, they proposed expert consultations and exchanges of information on directions for the development of V4 cooperation.  His Polish colleagues assured the Speaker of the National Assembly of their support for the proposal made by Hungary to conclude a strategic agreement between the three legislatures (the Sejm and the Senate of Poland and the National Assembly of Hungary).

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