V4 in The European Structures

The European Union, as a uniform actor has been looking for its own place in world politics for many years. Its structures, however, are deeply complicated and the decision making is over-bureaucratized where the key players as individuals are often at odds with the national interests of their country of origin. This present study aims to assess what weight the Visegrad Group has within the framework of the current bodies of the European Union and what role may it play in the future, when the absence of the United Kingdom will be ultimately reflected in the structures of the whole European institutional system.

Keywords: V4, Visegrad Group, Visegrad cooperation, European Union, European Parliament, European Council, European Commission

Even though the Visegrad Group is primarily an interest-based endeavour, in the recent years in some cases it has been acting on value basis. However, the manifestation of this unity is not strong enough on the level of the European Union. Hungary and Poland have been aiming to shape the future of this community but the breakthrough support from their Visegrad partners is lacking. Criticism towards their policy can be heard not only from outside the V4 but from inside as well.