Visegrád Group

The Visegrád Group (also known as the Visegrád Four or the V4) is a cultural and political alliance of four Central European countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. The alliance aims to advance co-operation in military, economic, cultural and energy affairs. All four nations are also members of the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and the Three Seas Initiative.

The alliance traces its origins to the summit meetings of leaders of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland, held in the Hungarian castle town of Visegrád on 15 February 1991. Visegrád was chosen as the location for the summits as an intentional allusion to the medieval Congress of Visegrád between John I of Bohemia, Charles I of Hungary, and Casimir III of Poland in 1335.

After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the Czech Republic and Slovakia became independent members of the alliance, increasing the number of members from three to four. All four members of the Visegrád Group joined the European Union on 1 May 2004, achieving its main goal.

During the European immigration crisis in 2015, the Visegrad Group successfully blocked EU-level actions aimed at implementing the forced relocation of illegal immigrants within the member states. At that time EU Commission started infringement procedures against actions of the Hungarian and Polish national-conservative governments, claiming that they undermine democracy, media freedom, and the independence of the judiciary. The Visegrad Four became politically split due to changes in governments and diverging reactions to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Yet its role in fostering exchange among countries' public servants and civil societies (Visegrad Fund) remains crucial. If the Visegrád Group were a single country, its land area, population, and economy would be similar to those of Metropolitan France.