Pøíloha
è. 2
Annual
Report on the Activities of the Visegrad Group (Krakow, 1
June 2001) - Hungarian Presidency
(2001-2002)
The Annual Report covering the
Visegrad Group's
activities in the period since the summit meeting of Prime Ministers of
the
Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and the Slovak Republic held on 9 June
Over the twelve months under
review contacts and
co-operation among the member countries of the Visegrad Group have been
developing very well in all dimensions and at all levels. This happened
along
the guidelines and within the political framework
for co-operation
established by the Heads of Government at the 1999 and 2000 summit
meetings.
The year under the Polish
Visegrad presidency was
marked by intensive contacts and debates at high political level. Prime
Ministers Jerzy Buzek, Mikulas Dzurinda, Viktor Orban and
Milos Zeman met
in this period several times in different settings to discuss European
and
regional issues remaining in the focus of the Group. Since the Prague
summit
they have met in October in Warsaw with the British Prime Minister, in
the same
month in Karlovy Vary in the Visegrad Group format, and twice in
December in
Bratislava with Prime Ministers of Slovenia and the Netherlands. The
Heads of
Government of the European Union member countries supported the
objectives and
efforts of the Visegrad countries undertaken with regard to an early EU
accession.
Presidents
Vaclav Havel, Aleksander Kwaœniewski, Ferenc Madl and Rudolf Schuster
commemorated in January in the Polish town of Pszczyna the 10th
anniversary of
the Visegrad Declaration of 15 February 1991 marking the start of
co-operation
by the four nations meant to strengthen the integration processes in
Europe.
The Heads of State issued a joint declaration referring to the
priorities of
the Visegrad Group after a decade of transition in Europe.
Political objectives
of the co-operation
focused over the past year on promotion of the Visegrad countries'
readiness
for and contribution to European and Euroatlantic integration. The
Czech
Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia worked together and assisted
each other
in preparations for European Union membership. The Visegrad member
states of
NATO supported the Slovak Republic's efforts with regard to her
membership in
the Alliance. In the external dimension Visegrad states expressed their
openness towards and preparedness to develop co-operation with third
countries
in Central, Southern and Eastern Europe. The image of the Visegrad area
as of
one characterized by political and economic stability was attempted to
be
reinforced through several forms of state-level, regional and
trans-frontier
co-operation reaching a number of local communities and several civil
society
segments.
The means of
Visegrad co-operation over the
last year encompassed manifold intergovernmental, parliamentary and NGO
level
contacts. In addition to high-level meetings, they included expert
consultations
on European security and integration, regional issues and policy
planning. In
October
Exchange of information and
co-operation projects
covered several dimensions reaching from justice and home affairs to
culture,
science and education. Diplomatic and consular representatives of the
Visegrad
countries in third countries met and held consultations regularly.
Ministries
of foreign affairs and representatives of the four states to
international
organizations like OSCE, Council of Europe, United Nations met to
consult and
to elaborate common views and positions on political issues, including
on
European security affairs, whereas most of the EU statements and
declarations
were supported. Joint statements were issued by the foreign ministries
of
Visegrad countries on issues like the detention of Czech nationals in
Cuba and
the escalation of violence in the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia.
The priorities
for Visegrad co-operation among
competent ministries and institutions over the past year reflected
primarily
the need to get prepared for membership in the European Union. Thus,
the common
interest focused, inter alia, on so called third pillar issues,
Schengen
agreement requirements, organized crime prevention, transport
infrastructure
and border crossings, economic and environmental issues. The
complementary
dimensions of cultural co-operation, research and education, sports and
youth
exchange as well as local government and NGO networking have been
strengthened
significantly by the establishment of the International Visegrad Fund
in June
2000.
At the informal meeting of Prime
Ministers in Karlovy
Vary in October 2000 discussions on EU enlargement scenarios took
place. The "big-bang"
concept was criticized as contradicting the individual approach towards
candidate countries, and emphasis was put on Visegrad solidarity in the
negotiation process. The Heads of Government informed each other about
accession strategies of their countries in light of the expected Nice
summit of
the EU. They also have reached agreement on developing certain areas
of
Visegrad co-operation. It was considered to establish new forms of
co-operation
in military industry (equipment modernization) and military training
(Poland
offered air force facilities). Upon Czech initiative ministers of
transportation were requested to examine plans for improving transport
infrastructure, and Hungary offered to companies from Visegrad
countries easier
access to road construction projects. Slovakia informed about the
adoption by
government of a strategy towards application of the Schengen regime
which was
supported by the other countries. Respective institutions were
instructed to
increase joint efforts in combating organized crime in the Visegrad
area.
Regional gas and oil supply strategies were discussed.
As mentioned above the Visegrad
Group remains open
for partnership relations and co-operation with external
partners. The
Visegrad countries welcomed the interest of Slovenia, Croatia, Romania,
Ukraine, and most recently Austria in co-operation on different
projects of
common sense and good prospects in the context of EU enlargement. The
Visegrad
Group supports different forms of regional co-operation and
good-neighbourly
partnership as a helpful means in the process of European integration.
Therefore, also the suggestion of the Prime Minister of Belgium
regarding the
examination of opportunities for co-operation between Visegrad and
Benelux was
taken up with interest. One more example of this kind of approach
towards
European integration was the proposal made at the December
Netherlands-Visegrad
Prime Ministers' meeting by Mr. Buzek to consider the elaboration by
the
Visegrad four, the Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom and Sweden of a
joint
economic development programme until 2010. This initiative has been
developed
under the heading of "knowledge-based economy".
Upon Polish initiative
consultations were held in
Warsaw in autumn 2000 between the Visegrad and Ukrainian foreign
ministries on
policy planning, and between Visegrad and Slovenia on South-Eastern
European
issues. The Swedish presidency of the European Union invited the
Visegrad
countries in March 2001 to consultations at the foreign ministry in
Stockholm
on the EU's Strategy for Ukraine. The meeting was followed by another
one in
Brussels. Deputy Ministers for Foreign Affairs met in April to discuss
European
integration and Visegrad co-operation issues and held jointly
consultations on
European security affairs at the State Department in Washington, D.C.
Consultations
of chief negotiators with the EU were held regularly in different
formats.
In the parliamentary
dimension meetings of the
Chairpersons of the Committees for Foreign Affairs, Defence and
European
Integration of the national parliaments take place regularly. The 6th
and most
recent was held in Warsaw in December 2000. The parliamentarians
discussed and
welcomed the EU Nice Summit decisions and called upon the North
Atlantic
Council to issue invitations, not later than at the Prague NATO summit
in 2002,
to Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania and any other candidate country
meeting the
membership criteria.
At the October 2000 meeting of
the Visegrad and
Austrian Ministers of Interior in Papernicka
(Slovakia) discussions
focused on new mechanisms for co-operation in combating organized
crime,
information exchange on judicial reforms, forms of legal assistance to
citizens, and the European Charter of Basic Rights. The Visegrad
Group's
Ministers of Justice met, too, in November in
Poland (Szczyrk) to discuss
their co-operation on EU's third pillar issues.
Over the last year co-operation
among border police,
consular departments and ministries of interior of the Visegrad Group
was
developed, including on matters related to the requirements of the
Schengen regime.
In October 2000 (in Prague) and
April 2001 (in
Warsaw) two major conferences were held in the format of Visegrad and
Romania
upon invitations of Deputy Prime Ministers, with participation of
departments
of justice and interior at ministerial level and representatives of
international organizations, devoted to human rights and national
minorities'
protection in legal and administrative terms.
The Visegrad Group developed economic
links
and co-operation among the member states and with third countries. It
remained
to be the stimulating core of the Central European Free Trade
Agreement. The
only barrier in the turnover of industrial products within CEFTA
continued to
be the quality certification. Methods of further liberalization of
agricultural
trade were discussed and gradually agreed within the CEFTA framework
with a
view to comply with EU standards.
In October 2000 the 4th meeting
of Ministers of the Environment
of the Visegrad countries took place in Warsaw with the participation
of Sweden
that put environment on the top of its EU presidency's agenda. In May
2001 the
5th ministerial meeting was held in the Slovak Republic. Environmental
protection continued to remain in the forefront of Visegrad
co-operation also
because of its transboundary character and immediate mutual impact on
the
member countries, and the decline in this area over the past decades.
Ministers
agreed upon a joint position on intensified activities towards ensuring
environmental safety, sustainable development and climate protection,
based on
exchange of experience on technologies at bilateral, European and
global levels
as well as on governmental support for environmental initiatives and
programmes. In October 2000 another meeting of Directors of Geological
Surveys
of the Visegrad countries took place in Zdiar (Slovakia) and a common
Letter of
interest signed on joining the EuroGeoSurveys organization.
Co-operation on transportation
and
communication issues focused over the past year on methods of
liberalizing road
transports, information exchange on infrastructure investment projects
of
transregional character (like TINA, European corridor no. 6, European
Commisssion's concept of freeways). In October 2000 the 6th meeting of
the
Visegrad countries' General Directors of Railways took place in
Budapest.
Transfrontier co-operation among the Visegrad
four developed well over the last year.
Several bilateral and multilateral euroregions gained strength and
worked on
new mechanisms of co-operation. Great attention was paid to the access
and
effective use of EU's financial assistance (including instruments like
PHARE
CBC, ISPA, SAPARD). In December
In October
Co-operation in the fields of education
and
science developed very well over the past twelve months, mostly through
exchanges of scholars within the framework of the Central European
Programme
for University Studies. Bilateral governmental commissions for
transfrontier
co-operation assisted the exchange of primary and secondary school
students in
the Visegrad area. A number of expert meetings involving ministries for
education took place.
Special priority is given by the
Visegrad countries
to the promotion of information on European integration among young
people
- the future leaders. Upon the initiative of the Prime Minister of
Poland a
number of high-school students including editors of local youth media
participated in recent months in visits of the Head of Government to
foreign
countries, inter alia in the Visegrad format. In April
The first year of the activities
of the International
Visegrad Fund established by the governments of the
four countries with
the aim of supporting closer co-operation, strengthening mutual ties
and
integrating them with the European Union proved this institution to be
a successful
one. Projects under implementation reached from EU enlargement and
human rights
seminars, over handicapped people sport games, youth leadership
symposia and
think-tanks co-operation, the establishment of agricultural webs and
ecological
networks, to journalism and literary evenings, concerts and theatre
performances. The interest of applicants from across the Visegrad
region in IVF
co-sponsorship of projects encouraged the governments to reconsider the
amount
of annual contributions to the fund (current budget of one million
euro). Since
its establishment in June 2000 the Czech Republic followed by Poland
presided
over the IVF's decision making-bodies well supported by the fund's
Slovak
Executive Director. As of 1 January the Slovak Republic took over the
IVF
chairmanship.
The Visegrad Group is a
well-identifiable structure
both in member countries and in the international environment. The
interest of
other countries who seek to participate in Visegrad activities seems to
prove
this statement. The underlying principle for the Visegrad co-operation
is
solidarity. The added value of Visegrad is bringing regional
co-operation down
to the civil society level. The Visegrad Group has become a symbol for
successful political and economic transition in the central part of
Europe.
Judging upon the number of high-level meetings in the so called 4+1
format it
is perceived by European Union member states as an important forum for
discussion of the challenges of European integration. The voice of
Visegrad is
heard in Europe.
The Czech Republic, Hungary,
Poland and the Slovak
Republic pledge their readiness to continue and to deepen the Visegrad
co-operation in recognition of the convergence of their strategic goals
and
common challenges ahead of them.
At the meeting of the Heads of
Government of the
Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and the Slovak Republic taking place in
Cracow
on 1 June 2001 Hungary takes over the presidency of the Visegrad Group
for the
year 2001/2002.
Zdroj: http://www.visegradgroup.org