V4 challenges discussed at summit

The Visegrad Four group (or the V4: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) should come up with specific constructive proposals more often, stated President Zuzana Čaputová before the V4 presidential summit in the Czech town of Lany on Wednesday. The president noted that the four countries have specific common interests regarding their future, for instance in the makeup of their industry. "We'll be facing automation and robotics, for example. . . . In this context, it would be good to promote our interests in concert," she claimed. On the first day of the two-day summit, the four presidents focused on the V4's place within the EU and the challenges it faces. Also broached were the latest EU developments, Brexit, migration, the ecological crisis and freedom of speech on the internet. Slated to join the talks on the second day are the presidents of Slovenia and Serbia. This is Čaputová's first visit to a V4 presidential summit since her inauguration in mid-2019.