V4

The current process of negotiating salary increases for public servants should also be seen in the context of international comparisons. Slovakia spends the most on salaries in the whole V4, not only as a share of total public administration expenditure but also as a share of GDP. In these comparisons, Slovakia spends more than the EU average.

Together, the V4 countries are the fifth largest economy in Europe and 12th globally. The region would rank as the 22nd most populous country in the world and 4th in Europe (64 million people) with most people living in Poland (38 million), followed by the Czech Republic (11 million), Hungary (10 million), and Slovakia (5.5 million).

The new conflict with the Russian regime, which is reviving its Soviet ambitions, has unified Europe and reminded the countries in the V4 region to realign its interest as well as economic solutions away from the East (Russia and China), and back to the Western Europe and the U.S. spheres of influence.

The Visegrád Cooperation is not nearly as united and indissoluble as the Hungarian Government wishes to present it. Member states often have conflicting interests which are pursued to the detriment of each other and cooperation.

Looking at the results in the V4 countries (Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary) helps gain a better understanding of the popularity of liberals. In the 2019 European elections, liberal parties performed quite well, especially in light of the popularity of the far-right in the region.

Digital New Deal was a year-long project implemented by Association for International Affairs (AMO) in cooperation with the Free Market Foundation, Industrial Foundation, and F.A. Hayek Foundation. It was supported by the International Visegrad Fundand the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.

The new concept of a future 4.0 factory was presented at the Hannover trade fair for the first time already in 2011. It promised a new way of production that will be flexible, effective and ready to mass produce individualized products with lower demand for a human labour force. Download Full Study The economic convergence […]

Automotive industry plays one of the most important roles in economies of the Visegrad Group countries. The sector became the regional leader in export and a reason for close ties among countries. Hyundai Kia in the Czech Republic and Slovakia is a textbook example of how one company ignores artificial national borders.

What is the shape of the Visegrad Group nearly two years after it has started its fight against the binding relocations? Why it cannot (or does not want to) get rid of the trouble maker\'s label and why we should keep it, despite its poor image?

Since trust in the Union is strongly correlated to the support of TTIP, and Euroscepticism is on the rise due to the multiple crises the EU currently faces, more public debate will be also needed in the future to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of TTIP-like trade agreements.