Richárd Hörcsik, Head of parliament’s European affairs committee, saidBrussels makes a careless approach to the treaties of the European Union but the Visegrad Group should act as a guardian of the Lisbon Treaty.
Addressing a panel discussion during the 30th International Economic Forum in Karpacz, Hörcsik said that central European cooperation was based on common interests and values. He added that it was currently a “historical necessity” to press on with this cooperation, either within the V4 or in the framework of the Europe of the Carpathians series of conferences which he described as “a younger brother” of the V4.
The conferences organized by Poland’s Sejm for 30 years, focuses on economic, political, cultural and local government cooperation within central and eastern Europe. Among the achievements of V4 cooperation Hörcsik highlighted the rejection of mandatory migrant settlement quotas in the EU, and that the V4 had become an engine of economic growth within the EU. The coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated that “we are able to care for each other, not only for ourselves,” he added. Hörcsik called it a joint task to act against double standards in the EU and fight against “liberal, extremist ideologies” which could devastate the EU in the long term.
Photo credit: Facebook/Dr. Hörcsik Richárd