Visegrad Four EU Battlegroup: Meaning and Progress

Abstract

In 2011, the states of the so-called Visegrad Four (V4), i.e. the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, decided to form a joint European Union battlegroup by 2016, available for rapid deployment within ten days and within a radius of six thousand kilometres from Brussels. The intention to establish this military formation had become the first initiative of its kind within the V4 ever. The present article therefore aims to examine the content of the mutual military cooperation among the CR, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia in the form of the V4 battlegroup and make readers acquainted with relevant and up-to-date information about the process of the formation of the V4 battlegroup and its importance for the military cooperation of the V4 countries. In order to achieve that, the authors introduce the previous experience of the individual V4 countries with the formation of EU battlegroups, explain the motives of the V4 countries to form a joint battlegroup, describe the path leading to the creation of the V4 BG as well as the possibilities of its deployment and the question of financing, and finally they deal with the perspectives of the V4 BG from the point of view of its importance for further development of military cooperation between the V4 countries.

The Role of the Visegrad Group in the Eu Integration

“…The importance of the EaP for the EU members and the V4 countries as well is stressed in the document issued in 2016 with the title A Global Strategy for the European Union's Foreign and Security Policy -the most important priorities and principles according to which will EU act for making Europe more stronger and effective in contemporary global issues. 3 The efficiency of this strategy is reviewed in the report named "The EU Global Strategy in Practice -Three years on, looking forward" 4 , elaborated in June 2019. The responsibilities for the V4's members stemming from this document were underlined during the latest meeting of foreign ministers of the V4 and the EaP representatives on occasion of the 10 th anniversary of the Eastern Partnership in May 2019 in Bratislava 5 .…”

“…On the one hand, the migration route stemming from Balkans witnessed an initiative of the V4 countries helping to solve the crisis by sending police and technical support contingents to Macedonia or Serbia what was appreciated by Brussels. On the other hand, the EU's policy of migrant quotas was unanimously rejected by Visegrad common statement 4 , paradoxically, it enhanced Visegrad+ cooperation and found support in some EU countries like Austria, which is aspiring on its function as a bridge between Visegrad and Western European countries 5 .…”

“…Since then, the cooperation on defence and security issues increased from the willingness of Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland (as the fresh NATO members) to accelerate the integration process into Euro-Atlantic structures of its partner -Slovakia, which joined North-Atlantic Treaty in 2004. 4 Visegrad nations united against mandatory relocation quotas. Available at: https://www.euractiv.com/section/justice-home-affairs/news/visegrad-nations-united-against-mandatory-relocation-quotas/ (accessed: 26.10.2019).…”