Peter Mađar Sends a Message from Poland: Visegrad Group Should Expand to the Western Balkans
New Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Mađar, along with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, sent a message from Warsaw today that it is time to restore the old influence and glory of the Visegrad Group, and Mađar also proposed expanding it to countries in the Western Balkans that are not yet in the European Union.
TL;DR
- New Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Mađar met with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw.
- They agreed to work towards revitalizing the Visegrad Group (V4) and restoring its influence within the EU.
- Mađar proposed expanding the V4 to include countries from the Western Balkans, potentially also Scandinavian countries, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, and Romania.
- Tusk stated that Poland and Hungary are destined to lead in restoring the significance of the Central and Eastern European region.
- Mađar hopes to host a V4 summit in Budapest by the end of Hungary's EU presidency in June.
- Tusk noted that recent years of Viktor Orbán's government created significant bilateral issues between Poland and Hungary.
- Mađar stated that Hungary will no longer provide refuge for criminally prosecuted offenders, offering to help return former Polish officials Zbigniew Ziobro and Marcin Romanowski to Poland.
- Ziobro and Romanowski are accused of embezzlement and abuse of power related to public funds.