Hungary’s new Prime Minister Péter Magyar suggested the expansion of the Visegrad Group, currently composed of Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. With the V4 having achieved its primary goal of integrating its members into NATO and the EU, is this a way to revitalize the format? Or is there more at hand?
“Also, it dilutes to some extent Poland’s hegemonic role in the Visegrad group,” said Stuart Dowell, TVP World’s Political Commentator, citing the fact Poland outsizes all the other V4 members together. “And that’s the reason (…) why Donald Tusk and Poland would be reticent about (…) welcoming this Visegrad Plus concept (…) They’ll be polite about it, smile, but perhaps push it into the long grass.”
Another challenge facing Magyar is steering Hungary back into the European mainstream following 16 years of Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party’s illiberal rule. In theory, Magyar’s Tisza party has the tool to do it: a supermajority in the parliament.
“António Costa (…) the head of the Council, has already said that they expect some fast-track measures. So even the European Union is giving a kind of a nod and a wink, saying, ‘Yes, you can go ahead with some of these Orbán-style measures,’ but that’s going to cost him politically at home,” Dowell said, citing a law that would limit the tenure of the prime minister, which seems to be tailored specifically to target Orbán.
Is there room for Ukraine in any expanded “V4+” framework? Can Central Europe truly act as a unified bloc on security and EU integration? And will Poland accept a reshaped regional balance of power?
Join our host, Diana Skaya, and her guest, as they explore Hungary’s political reset, the future of the Visegrad Group, and Central Europe’s shifting role in the EU, NATO, and the war in Ukraine.
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