During the summit, a plenary session of the Visegrád Group was held, in which the Prime Ministers of Poland, Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary as well as Slovenia took part. The subject of the plenary session discussion included actions regarding, among others, recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The Prime Minister also discussed EU’s agenda issues such as the future of the EU and challenges associated with migration and asylum policies as well as the enlargement policy.
”I would like to thank you all and I am more than convinced that the plan presented by the Prime Minister of Slovenia is a different reaction to the crisis,” said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. “Today, our countries protect our citizens and jobs and do so very well, paying particular attention to the economy,” he added.

Topical issues on the EU’s agenda

The leaders analysed the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which started on 1 July 2021. The heads of government also discussed areas of cooperation in the next six months.
The Slovenian Presidency priorities include, among others, the issue of European Union’s resilience to crises, including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic, cybercrime, attacks on the digital infrastructure of countries, and disinformation.
”As Europe, we must apply ourselves to protection against hacker attacks to a larger extent. This is one of the priorities for the near future. Crises may be caused by hybrid warfare. We see surrounding countries that become involved in various dangerous actions. We must provide protection against such attacks together. As a result, Europe can become more resilient,” said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Other issues that were discussed included planned reforms of migration and asylum policies as well progress on the EU enlargement process.

Protection of the EU’s external borders – the main assumption of the migration policy

There is an ongoing debate over the assumptions of the comprehensive reform of EU’s migration and asylum policies. Our country supports a responsible approach to migration and asylum management, paying particular attention to the external dimension of the migration policy and the protection of the EU’s external borders.
”Our role is not insignificant. We all must get on the same page for Europe to become stronger. We must also be able to protect our external borders,” stressed Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
The objective of new Union solutions should be higher effectiveness of actions taken by the European Union and its Member States. The development of cooperation with key countries of origin and transit should also be considered. It is the opinion of Poland that the Eastern Partnership should be treated as a priority region also in terms of migration.

EU’s enlargement

Continuing with the enlargement of the EU is among the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency. The leaders agreed that the implementation of further steps on the path to enlargement – especially with Western Balkans countries – is a prerequisite for the European Union to remain credible. Montenegro and Serbia are already negotiating their EU membership, Albania and North Macedonia are waiting for negotiations to open (in March 2020, the Council made a political decision), and Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo are potential candidates, but the former expects to be given candidate status in the near future. Currently, the most important issue related to the EU’s enlargement policy is to begin accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia.
Poland is among the group of EU countries that are in favour of retaining the speed of the enlargement process and whose position supports the EU’s enlargement the most. In their joint statement, the V4 leaders reiterated their unequivocal support for the accession of the Western Balkans countries and their firm belief that the future of the region lies in the EU.  The document emphasised that “reunification of Europe cannot be complete without the region joining the European Union”.
The Prime Ministers voiced hopes of support from and close cooperation with the Slovenian Presidency in order to ensure the successful organisation of the EU-Western Balkans summit in Brdo pri Kranju on 6 October 2021.

Since 1 July 2021, Slovenia has held presidency of the Council of the European Union, while Hungary presides over the Visegrád Group

In July, Slovenia began its six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union. As part of the presidency, Slovenia leads the work of the Council of the European Union and provides support to ensure the continuity of the work in the entire European Union. The motto of the current presidency is ”Together. Resilient. Europe”. The Slovenian Presidency will focus on building the strategy and autonomy of the EU and increasing security in the European neighbourhood.
Also in July 2021, Hungary took over the annual presidency of the Visegrád Group from Poland. The motto of the Hungarian Presidency is ”Recharge Europe”, which refers to the need to recover after the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
”I would like to thank the Prime Minister of Slovenia for inviting the Visegrád Group. I am convinced that economic recovery, strengthening the role of the country, protection of our external borders, and establishing an anti-protectionism agenda are the right way to strengthen Central Europe,” said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, adding that “I strongly believe that the five of us will benefit from such agenda under the leadership of the Slovenian Prime Minister in the Council of the European Union”.

Joint statement of the Prime Ministers of the Visegrád Group

Following the V4+ summit, in which the Prime Minister of Slovenia participated, the Prime Ministers of the Visegrád Group made a joint statement, which highlights the past 30 years of cooperation and includes further plans for action in Central Europe.
In the statement, the leaders pointed out that ”the challenges and crises affecting Europe and the world, including the COVID-19 pandemic further increased the importance of the V4 format. The Visegrád countries have helped each other in various challenges, which demonstrated the strength of regional solidarity and cooperation”.
They also set out objectives for the time after the coronavirus pandemic, saying that ”after the COVID-19 pandemic it is the shared goal of the Visegrád countries to be among those who benefit from the global economic and political changes”.
They also stated that ”the V4 countries feel responsible for Europe’s future, preserving its values and principles and supporting the EU’s further enlargement. Continuing V4 cooperation in addressing current global challenges, such as climate change, digital transformation or migration also contributes to a stable, secure and globally competitive European Union”.

Climate policy

The V4 countries expect the Commission to deliver a balanced legislative package based on the principles of fairness and solidarity, as well as respecting different starting positions, specific national circumstances, and the right of Member States to decide on their own energy mix. In their joint statement, the V4 Prime Ministers expressed their belief that the decarbonisation of the energy sector must go hand in hand with secure and affordable supply of energy which is essential to ensuring the EU's long-term competitiveness. Our country maintains its position that legal solutions to be adopted cannot establish mechanisms that impose a disproportionate burden on poorer Member States.
In December 2020, the leaders of the EU countries adopted the binding Union target of reducing 2030 greenhouse gas emissions by 55% compared to the year 1990. To ensure the effective achievement of this target, the European Commission will propose a legislative package. The first part of the related projects is expected to be published already in the middle of July 2021.

The entire statement is available as a PDF file below.