Visegrád Group The Visegrád Group was created in 1991 when Polish, Czechoslovakian and Hungarian leaders met in the Hungarian town of Visegrád to promote cooperation between the three States following the Warsaw Pact. Hungary Poland Czech Republic Slovakia Published on : November 01st 2025 Updated on : April 01st 2026 Dans cette rubrique The Ministry in action Action for peace and respect for human rights Action within the UN Security, Disarmament and Non-proliferation Emergency Humanitarian Action Protecting Human Rights Gender equality: a priority for France Commitment to international justice Digital Diplomacy Promoting a sovereign Europe The European Political Community Defence Europe France and the European Union European matters Promoting French businesses and France’s attractiveness Attracting foreign investment Attracting international students Destination France: The recovery and transformation plan for tourism Promoting French expertise in sport Supporting French exporters Supporting researchers and scientific cooperation globally The French Government’s Trade Policy Ensuring the presence of French culture Cultural Diplomacy Defending Francophonie and the French language Franco-German cooperation Supporting the cultural and creative industries Contributing to sustainable, balanced globalization Addressing the climate and environmental emergency Combating global social inequality External action of local government bodies Summits and global issues Regional strategies Sommaire Background How it works Provisional future presidencies: Main V4+France meetings Background The Visegrád Group was created in 1991 when Polish, Czechoslovakian and Hungarian leaders met in the Hungarian town of Visegrád to promote cooperation between the three States following the Warsaw Pact. In 1993, Slovakia separated from the Czech Republic and the Group became the “V4”. The initial objectives were to promote these States as candidates for membership of NATO and the European Union. They were fulfilled in 1999 and 2004, respectively. Since then, the V4 has continued essentially as an instrument for consultation, cooperation and definition of the countries’ shared positions ahead of key European events. Today, the V4 has been weakened and meetings are held at a slower pace at every level on account of differences that have emerged between Hungary and its three partners regarding the war in Ukraine. How it works With 65 million inhabitants, the Visegrád Group has a similar weight to that of France within the European Union, which gives it 12.46% of the votes within the Council of the European Union. The V4 is an informal intergovernmental forum and makes its decisions by consensus. It does not have any permanent structures. The group’s work is centred around a presidency which rotates on an annual basis and regular meetings at various levels: Heads of State, Prime Ministers, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Ministers for European Affairs, technical ministries, etc. The agenda for meetings is set by the presidency and is shaped by key events on the European calendar (European Council meetings, informal summits, etc.). Joint positions are often adopted at high-level meetings. The V4 occasionally extends works with other States, both EU and non-EU members, in formats known as “V4+”, depending on the topics on the agenda and/or the European and international priorities of the Presidency. Slovakia currently holds the presidency. Provisional future presidencies: • 1 July 2022 – 30 June 2023: Slovakia • 1 July 2023 – 30 June 2024: Czech Republic • 1 January 2024 – 30 June 2025: Poland • 1 July 2025 – 30 June 2026:: Hungary Under its presidency, Slovakia has set several priorities: Cross-border interconnection: upgrade and expansion of transport networks connecting V4 countries; increased energy transition coordination through the development of nuclear energy and low-carbon technologies. Economic development: support for SMEs, digital upskilling, promotion of green innovation through cooperation with third countries such as South Korea, Japan and Israel. Sustainable development: protection of nature and biodiversity, particularly forests; promotion of technological neutrality; harmonization of legislation in line with European climate objectives. Development of human contacts: increase in student mobility; promotion of V4 as a major European cultural area. Main V4+France meetings 13 December 2021: V4+France Summit of heads of State and Government in Budapest, devoted to the French Presidency of the European Union, migration, the rule of law, energy and the Western Balkan countries. 16 November 2021: V4-France Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Brussels in the margins of the Foreign Affairs Council (Defence) Meeting, on the Strategic Compass. 22 June 2021: V4+France Economy Ministers’ Meeting in Krakow, on medicines, semi-conductors and energy. 8 October 2020: V4+France Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Bratislava, in the margins of the GLOBSEC Forum, on the EU’s southern and western neighbourhood and migration issues. 2 June 2020: V4+France Meeting of Ministers of State for European Affairs, on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the recovery plan, Brexit, the Conference for the Future of Europe, the rule of law and border management. 28 May 2019: V4+France Meeting of Heads of State and Government, in the margins of the Extraordinary European Council Meeting in Brussels, on the EU’s institutional and political renewal. 13 May 2019: V4+France+Germany Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Brussels, on the European defence initiatives and crisis management. 18 April 2019: V4+France Ministerial Meeting, with Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and his counterparts from the Visegrád Group, in Bratislava (Slovakia). 28 June 2018: Meeting of President Emmanuel Macron and the Prime Ministers of the four member countries of the Visegrád Group in the margins of the European Council Meeting in Brussels. 22 June 2017: Meeting of President Emmanuel Macron and the Prime Ministers of the four member countries of the Visegrád Group in the margins of the European Council meeting in Brussels. 19 June 2015: Participation of President François Hollande at the Visegrád Group Summit in Bratislava.