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Visegrad Group
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Map of Europe indicating the four member countries of the Visegrad Group
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| Membership | Czech Republic Hungary Poland Slovakia |
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| Leaders | ||
| - | Rotating Presidency | Czech Republic[1] |
| Establishment | 15 February 1991 | |
| Area | ||
| - | Total | 533,615 km2 206,030 sq mi |
| Population | ||
| - | 2010 estimate | 64,301,710 |
| - | Density | 120.0/km2 310.8/sq mi |
| GDP (PPP) | estimate | |
| - | Total | $1,363,052 billion (15th) |
The Visegrád Group, also called the Visegrád Four or V4, is an alliance of four Central European states – Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – for the purposes of cooperation and furthering their European integration. The Group's name in the languages of the four countries is Visegrádská čtyřka or Visegrádská skupina (Czech); Visegrádi Együttműködés or Visegrádi négyek (Hungarian); Grupa Wyszehradzka (Polish); and Vyšehradská skupina or Vyšehradská štvorka (Slovak). It is also sometimes referred to as the Visegrád Triangle, since it was an alliance of three states at the beginning – the term is not valid now, but appears sometimes even after all the years since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993.
The Group originated in a summit meeting of the heads of state or government of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland held in the Hungarian castle town of Visegrád[2] on 15 February 1991 (not to be mistaken with Vyšehrad, a castle in Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic, or with the town of Višegrad in Bosnia and Herzegovina).
The Czech Republic and Slovakia became members after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993. All four members of the Visegrád Group became part of the European Union on 1 May 2004.
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The name of the Group is derived, and the place of meeting selected, from a meeting of the Bohemian, Polish and Hungarian rulers in Visegrád in 1335. Charles I of Hungary, Casimir III of Poland and John of Bohemia agreed to create new commercial routes to bypass the staple port Vienna and obtain easier access to other European markets. A second meeting took place in 1339, where the new king of Poland was decided upon.
All four nations in the Visegrád Group have relatively developed free market economies and have enjoyed more or less steady economic growth since the revolutions of 1989. In 2009, Slovakia adopted the euro as its official currency.
If counted as a single nation state, the Visegrad Group is the seventh largest economy in Europe and the 15th in the world.
Based on Gross Domestic Product (PPP) figures for the year 2011, the most developed country in the grouping is the Czech Republic (USD 25,933 per capita), followed by Slovakia (USD 23,384 per capita), Poland (USD 20,136 per capita) and Hungary (USD 19,647 per capita). The average GDP (PPP) in 2011 for the entire group was USD 21,197.
The largest economy in the region is Poland (GDP PPP total of USD 766,675 with a ranking of 19th in the world). According to the UN and the World Bank, it is a high income country with a very high human development index.[3][4]The largest component of its economy is the service sector (67,3%), followed by the industry sector (28,1%) and the agriculture sector (4,6%). Today, the main obstacle to growth is the country's notoriously poor infrastructure. However, with the increase of private investment and funding assistance from the EU, infrastructure in Poland is rapidly improving.
The main industries are mining, machinery (cars, buses, ships), metallurgy, chemical, electrical, textile and food processing. The high technology and IT sectors are also growing with the help of investors like Google, Toshiba, Dell, GE, LG and Sharp. The result is that today Poland is a producer of many electronic devices and components.[5] Minerals extracted include black and brown coal, copper, lead, zinc, salt, sulfur, magnesite, kaolin and small amounts of oil and natural gas. The recently made available US Department of Energy report revealed that the largest reserves of shale gas in Europe are in Poland and it is expected that its production will play an important role in the Polish economy in the near future.[6]
Poland has been called the bread basket of Europe due to its highly developed agriculture sector. Arable lands make up nearly half of the country, meadows and pastures only 13% and forests 30%. Wheat, rye, barley, flax, oats, potatoes, sugar beets, canola, hops, fruit and vegetables are all grown for both the home and export markets. Meanwhile, Poland's production of rye, flax, potatoes and sugar beet is the second largest in Europe after Russia. Pigs, cattle, sheep, horses and poultry are all commonly bred livestock. The country also has a substantial fishing industry located on the Baltic coast and near the lakes of the Mazury region.
The second largest economy in the group is the Czech Republic (GDP of USD 273.070 billion total, 42nd in world ranking). Before the Second World War, the Czech Republic was one of the most advanced countries in the world. However, the subsequent 41 years of communism greatly damaged the economy. Since the velvet revolution, the Czech Republic has successfully transformed itself into a free market economy. Today the Czech Republic is a highly industrialized country and belongs to the 30 most developed countries (according to the world bank). The main problems are corruption, and inequality between regions.
The main industries in the Czech Republic are chemicals, machinery, food processing, metallurgy and smelting. Other major industry sectors are energy, construction and consumer. Less important are the arms industry and glass, but these have a long tradition in Bohemia. Industry accounts for 35% of the Czech economy. The Czech Republic produces per capita the most cars in the world and about the same amount as in Great Britain. Main producers are Škoda auto, Peugeot-Citroen, Toyota and Hyundai. Other major companies are ČEZ (biggest company in central and eastern Europe), Škoda works (manufacturer of rail vehicles), Panasonic (electronics), Tatra (Heavy truck manufacturer), Acelor Mittal (Metallurgy), Avast (Software), PPF (largest Central European investment group) and many others.
The key minerals mined are black and brown coal, clay, graphite, limestone and other building materials. Uranium deposits are found near the village of Lower. In South Moravia, oil and natural gas are extracted, but larger amounts are imported from Russia. Since one third of the country is covered with forest, wood is also an important export.
Cereals (wheat, barley, maize), potatoes, sugar beets, other flax crops, and canola are grown. Hops, fruit growing and viticulture are also important. The basis of livestock is cattle, pigs and poultry, as well as beekeeping or freshwater fish (especially carp).
The third economy is Hungary (total GDP of USD 196.196 billion, 52nd in the world). Hungary was one of the more developed economies of the Eastern bloc. Now it is an industrial agricultural state. The main problem is generally declining economic performance and high debt.
The main industries are engineering, mechanical engineering (cars, buses), chemical, electrical, textile and food industries.
Wheat, rye, barley, flax, oats, potatoes, sugar beets, canola, hops, fruit and vegetables are grown. Livestock bred include pigs, cattle, sheep, horses and poultry. Wool, honey and fish products are produced.
The smallest V4 economy is Slovakia (GDP of USD 127.111 billion total, 60th in the world). Along with the Czech Republic, Slovakia was the most developed country of the Eastern Bloc. The first years after the revolution in 1989 saw stagnation. At the end of the 1990s, the economy grew and attracted much investment. Today Slovakia is an advanced industrial nation.
The automotive industry is important to the Slovak economy. Cars produced are Volkswagen, Peugeot, Citroen and Kia. Another important industry is electronics. Near the city of Nitra is Sony's Japanese factory. The Korean company Samsung also has a factory in Slovakia. The metals, mining and quarrying and food-processing industries are important. Slovak industry has good prospects and is expected to grow rapidly.
Slovakia has a developed agriculture. Mostly grown is corn, but also wine, especially in Bratislava and the surrounding Tokaj region. In the Tatra Mountains and other high land there is breeding of domestic animals - sheep and cattle. Peppers and potatoes are grown.
The population is 64,301,710 inhabitants, which would rank 22nd largest in the world and 4th in Europe if V4 was a single country. Most people live in Poland (38 million), followed by the Czech Republic (nearly 11 million), Hungary (nearly 10 million) and Slovakia (5.5 million).
The country holding the Group's presidency changes each year, in June:
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The only institution of the Visegrád co-operation is the International Visegrad Fund, established in 1999, with its seat in Bratislava. According to a decision of the prime ministers, the Fund has an annual budget of EUR 5 million since 2007 onwards. In 11 annual deadlines the Fund awards grants, scholarships and artist residencies.
On 12 May 2011, Polish Defence Minister Bogdan Klich said that Poland will lead a new battlegroup of the Visegrad Group. The decision was made at the V4 defense ministers' meeting in Levoca, Slovakia, and the battlegroup would become operational and be placed on standby in the first half of 2016. The ministers also agreed that the V4 militaries should hold regular exercises under the auspices of the NATO Response Force, with the first such exercise to be held in Poland in 2013.
The continually expanding Visegrád Scholarship Program awards grants from the International Visegrád Fund for students of Master's or postgraduate levels. Students from the following countries are eligible for the scholarships: the Visegrád Group countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia), also Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Russia and Ukraine.
In 2002, Hungary initiated establishment of an Expert Working Group on Energy. This expert group meets once or twice a year in V4 capitals on a rotation basis, and the head of the host country delegation always chairs the meeting.
On 27 April 2006, the V4 WG on Energy met in Prague with the aim of discussing recommendations for V4 energy ministers concerning topics negotiated at ministerial level meetings. The WG elaborated recommendations concerning four groups of problems:
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