Visegrad Group – Videoconference between Amélie de Montchalin and her counterparts (2 Jun. 2020)

Amélie de Montchalin, Minister of State for European Affairs attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, met yesterday via videoconference with her counterparts from the Visegrad Group countries (Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia).

Ahead of the European Council of June 19, their discussions focused on European Commission proposals concerning the recovery plan and the revision of the future multiannual financial framework for 2021-2027. The minister underscored the need for an ambitious, solidarity-based recovery plan in the context of European sovereignty. The ministers also addressed coordinating the lifting of measures on the borders of the Schengen space in a manner that respects our common values, the status of negotiations with the United Kingdom, and the need to conduct a democratic debate on the lessons to be learned from the crisis, within the framework of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

This meeting is part of an ongoing political dialogue conducted by France and its Central European partners with the goal of achieving ambitious agreements on common European priorities. In recent months, the minister has exchanged views with all of her counterparts in the region, both on a bilateral basis and as a participant in the work of the so-called Austerlitz Format with Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia on May 13.