The V4 engaged in ongoing consultations during the course of last week’s EU summit. There were no background agreements or compromises that broke the unity of the country group, Szabolcs Takács pointed out. The State Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office responsible for European affairs said on the programme Arena of the radio station InfoRádió: the V4 has become an important power centre in the EU.

The 28 Member States designated the significance of the protection of the external borders as the number one priority in the closing document of last week’s EU summit which adds to the authenticity of the Hungarian position voiced ever since the outbreak of the migration crisis, Mr Takács said. The State Secretary highlighted: the fact that the British Prime Minister visited the countries of the Visegrád cooperation at the beginning of the year testifies that David Cameron took the criteria of the V4 seriously upon the formulation of his EU reform concept.

„It is important for us to ensure that no one in Europe should think that the Visegrád countries always constitute an obstacle to the European solutions. On the contrary: we would like to prove that the Visegrád countries have a proposal of their own regarding the challenges faced by Europe and the European Union, a pragmatic and constructive proposal. We have an interest in the continued survival of the European Union’s achievements and in forging the European Union into a competitive alliance”, he stressed.

Mr Takács said: „The Visegrád cooperation is now looked upon as an important power centre whose voice is strong enough to be heard not only in Brussels, but also in Europe’s most important capitals, and whose considerations are duly taken into consideration. I sincerely hope that we are increasingly moving in a direction where everyone will appreciate that the achievements of the Visegrád countries determine the future of Europe as well.”

At the latest summit, the V4 continuously consulted with one another with respect to the British reform proposals, and there were no background agreements or compromises which broke the unity of the country group.

While the issue of the migration crisis is becoming an internal political issue both in Germany and Austria, more and more EU Member States are adopting the measures Hungary opted for  with a view to the management of the situation, the State Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office for European affairs pointed out. Hungary has consistently represented a position ever since the outbreak of the crisis, and it is therefore some satisfaction for Hungary that ever more countries are realising that the concepts entailed in this position may offer an important means for the resolution of the crisis, Mr Takács said.

(Prime Minister's Office/inforadio.hu)